Brunswick Beacon, 05.02.24
Donald Trump’s accusations are typically either projection or confession. In 2016, Trump attacked news outlets as “fake news.” He sued Hillary Clinton for rigging the 2016 election he won! Now, the testimony of his long-time friend, David Pecker, has exposed Trump’s scheme to spread fake news and interfere in that election.
Pecker met Trump in the late 1980s, beginning what he called a “great, mutually beneficial relationship.” Pecker’s National Enquirer ran articles favorable to Trump, who fed Pecker gossip about contestants on Celebrity Apprentice.
After Trump announced his presidential bid, Trump met with Pecker at Trump Tower. They concocted a “catch-and-kill” scheme with Pecker acting as Trump’s “eyes and ears” to collect damaging stories about Trump. Accusers were paid for non-disclosure agreements and exclusive rights to their stories, which the Enquirer then buried.
Pecker testified about three such stories: a (false) story alleging Trump fathered an illegitimate child (for $30,000), a story about Trump’s 10-month-long affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal (for $150,000), and a story of Trump’s sexual encounter with pornstar Stormy Daniels (for $130,000).
Pecker also ran false stories about Trump’s political opponents. Trump requested stories about opponents who worried him most. Pecker then invented stories out of whole cloth, including false allegations of a “love child” of Sen. Marco Rubio. Pecker testified that he took a photo of Lee Harvey Oswald and Sen. Ted Cruz’ father, “mashed the two together,” and “created” the fictitious story that Cruz’ father was involved in JFK’s assassination.
Pecker’s testimony exposed the truth: Trump’s catch-and-kill scheme was designed to interfere in the 2016 election by burying negative Trump stories while publishing phony stories about Trump’s rivals.
The scheme worked. After Trump became president, he invited Pecker to a White House dinner to thank him for his contribution to Trump’s campaign. Trump’s accusations of fake news and election interference are confessions of his own crime: Trump stole the 2016 election.
Vince Amoroso
Sunset Beach
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