{"id":27604,"date":"2024-04-24T11:56:03","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T15:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=27604"},"modified":"2024-04-24T11:56:03","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T15:56:03","slug":"trump-hush-money-trial-publisher-says-he-suppressed-negative-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2024\/04\/24\/trump-hush-money-trial-publisher-says-he-suppressed-negative-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump &#8216;hush money&#8217; Trial: Publisher says he suppressed negative news"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">The underbelly of New York City&#8217;s tabloid media industry was laid bare in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A famous publisher outlined a secret plan he had with Donald Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, calling it an &#8220;agreement among friends&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Prosecutors questioned former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker for nearly three hours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He testified that the three worked to suppress negative stories about the candidate during his 2016 campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;&#8216;This could be a very big story, so I believe that it should be removed from the market&#8217;,&#8221; Mr Pecker said he would advise the former president about killing certain articles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Pecker&#8217;s testimony could prove critical for prosecutors as they seek to prove that Mr Trump tried to influence the election by quelling a story of an alleged affair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Prosecutors allege he tried to cover up a $130,000 (\u00a3104,500) payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before he won the race for the White House back in 2016.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Continuing his testimony from Monday as the trial&#8217;s first witness, Mr Pecker said he met Mr Trump in the late 1980s and eventually became good friends with the former president.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"unordered-list-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5f7ft-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/live\/world-us-canada-68848464\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Latest updates and analysis<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-68877610\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Prosecution and defence make opening statements<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The two had a mutually &#8220;beneficial&#8221; relationship, in which Mr Trump would share exclusive information with him, such as news about the contestants on his reality TV show, The Apprentice. This helped boost viewership for the show and the National Enquirer, Mr Pecker said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Shortly after Mr Trump launched his first presidential bid, Mr Pecker said he met with Cohen and Mr Trump in August 2015. There, Mr Pecker said he agreed to suppress negative articles about the former president and promote positive stories about him, a plan Mr Pecker argued should be kept &#8220;as quiet as possible&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The tabloid publisher said he also agreed to notify Mr Trump about stories concerning his romantic affairs, as he was &#8220;an eligible bachelor&#8221; who &#8220;dated the most beautiful women&#8221;, according to Mr Pecker.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Pecker detailed two stories that the three men worked to kill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">One was from Dino Sajudin, a former Trump Tower doorman, who Mr Pecker said tried to sell an article in 2015 about an unsubstantiated rumour that Mr Trump once fathered a child out of wedlock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">After investigating, Mr Pecker said, he found the claim to be &#8220;1,000% untrue&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-xza2yt-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-8589xk-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-sft8a2-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/11C25\/production\/_133214727_7ac832bcb78c55d8fce94df317398d33777cb68d.jpg 976w\" alt=\"A courtroom sketch of David Pecker\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" \/><\/picture><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1mget3o-StyledFigureCaption e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-y7krbn-Stack e1y4nx260\">A courtroom sketch of David Pecker (Image: Jane Rosenberg\/Reuters)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But he agreed with Cohen to pay Mr Sajudin $30,000 for perpetual rights to the story, because it would have been &#8220;very embarrassing for the campaign&#8221; if it got out, Mr Pecker said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Just before the end of the day in court, prosecutors also delved into a hush-money agreement made to Playboy model Karen McDougal. She claims she and Mr Trump had a long-term affair, though Mr Trump denies this.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Pecker said he advised the former president to buy Ms McDougal&#8217;s story, but Mr Trump was unsure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;&#8216;Anytime you do anything like this, it always gets out&#8217;,&#8221; Mr Pecker claimed Mr Trump told him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">His company eventually purchased the story for $150,000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Though prosecutors did not bring charges over either of these payments, the testimony from Tuesday could help paint a picture of the context leading up to Ms Daniels&#8217; payment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Putting the tabloid publisher up on the stand first in the trial was a smart move, according to former Brooklyn prosecutor Julie Rendelman.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;He provides the backdrop for how the whole &#8216;catch and kill&#8217; scheme came to be, the players involved, and the timing as it related to Trump&#8217;s campaign,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Pecker&#8217;s testimony came after the second day of the hush-money trial got off to a rocky start for the former president&#8217;s legal team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\" data-component=\"subheadline-block\">\n<h2 id=\"More-on-Trump-trial\" class=\"ssrcss-1ipj56t-Heading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span role=\"text\">More on Trump trial<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"unordered-list-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5f7ft-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-68861539\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Who&#8217;s who in the former president&#8217;s criminal case?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-68737723\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How strong is this case?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-68848665\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Who are the 12 Trump jurors?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-61084161\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A guide to Trump&#8217;s four criminal cases<\/a>&#8216;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\" data-component=\"subheadline-block\">\n<h2 id=\"Losing-credibility-with-the-court\" class=\"ssrcss-1ipj56t-Heading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span role=\"text\">&#8216;Losing credibility with the court&#8217;<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The day began with a hearing on whether comments Mr Trump made about those involved in the case violated a gag order.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Sparks quickly flew between his lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, and Justice Juan Merchan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">After prosecutors alleged 10 of his social media posts violated the order, Mr Blanche argued his client had a right to address &#8220;political attacks&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Judge Merchan was not buying it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;You&#8217;re losing all credibility with the court,&#8221; he told Mr Blanche, after trying to get him to hurry up his arguments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Trump is accused by the prosecution of routinely breaking a restriction imposed by the judge that prevents him from publicly attacking witnesses, prosecutors and relatives of court staff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;He knows about the order, he knows what he&#8217;s not allowed to do, but he does it anyway,&#8221; prosecutor Christopher Conroy told the court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">At stake for Mr Trump is a $10,000 fine and a warning that future violations of the order could lead to his imprisonment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The judge said he would reserve making a ruling about the violations for now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said the judge&#8217;s reproach was a worrying sign for Mr Trump&#8217;s team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;They can&#8217;t control their client, but when the judge tells a lawyer they are losing all their credibility, that&#8217;s bad,&#8221; Mr Rahmani said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In the break that followed the hearing, Mr Trump took to his social media site Truth Social to criticise Judge Merchan and claim that he was being unfairly blocked from defending himself against attacks.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-68880206\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">The underbelly of New York City&#8217;s tabloid media industry was laid bare in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday. A famous publisher outlined a secret plan he had with Donald Trump and his personal lawyer Michael <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2024\/04\/24\/trump-hush-money-trial-publisher-says-he-suppressed-negative-news\/\" title=\"Trump &#8216;hush money&#8217; Trial: Publisher says he suppressed negative news\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[109,2,3],"tags":[8025,285,9512,4526,521,8464,4980],"class_list":{"0":"post-27604","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headline","8":"category-news","9":"category-usa","10":"tag-contempt-of-court","11":"tag-donald-trump","12":"tag-indictments-of-donald-trump","13":"tag-manhattan","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-stormy-daniels","17":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27604"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27607,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27604\/revisions\/27607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}