Read George Conway’s CNN Op-ed
Board President George Conway co-authored an op-ed with Norman Eisen for CNN, on the ongoing developments in New York v. Trump: “How Trump’s tabloid ally pecked holes in his case.”
In it, they argue:
We had predicted that Trump’s contempt hearing was going to be bad for him – and it was even worse, with Justice Juan Merchan telling the defense that they were “losing all credibility” in arguing that Trump tried “very hard” to comply with his gag order …
But as negative as that was for Trump, when we got back to witness testimony a little after 11 a.m., what ensued with former American Media CEO and National Enquirer publisher David Pecker’s testimony may have been even more damaging …
Pecker talked persuasively and at length Tuesday about the formation of the conspiracy, but his testimony cut (or will cut) across all five acts of the Shakespearean drama here. His August 2015 meeting with Trump and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen is Act One that laid the foundation for the “catch-and-kill” schemes later implemented to benefit Trump’s campaign. But Pecker’s testimony also included his attempts to silence allegations by doorman Dino Sajudin that Trump had fathered an illegitimate child or engaged in a yearlong affair with model Karen McDougal: Acts Two and Three, respectively …
So, what happens next? On Thursday, prosecutors will continue their direct examination of Pecker before turning it over to the defense for cross-examination later that day or Friday. Because Pecker is so important, the defense really has to come after him – so stay tuned for fireworks. What that cross could look like will be the subject of this trial diary on Thursday morning.