The parent company of the National Enquirer has flipped on President Trump, agreeing to cooperate with federal prosecutors in New York as part of its probe into a hush money scandal involving a Playboy model who had an alleged affair with Trump.
American Media Inc. has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in New York, the Department of Justice announced in a statement today.
AMI admitted that it paid $150,000 to a woman “in concert with” President Trump’s campaign “in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate before the 2016 presidential election.”
Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, was paid $150,000 in 2016 by publishers of the National Enquirer for exclusive rights to her story about her alleged affair with Trump. The Enquirer then never ran the story.
The National Enquirer purchased the rights to McDougal’s story “to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election” according to prosecutors, who did not refer to McDougal by name.
David Pecker, a close fried of Trump and the chief executive and chairman of AMI, was previously granted immunity.
Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in August to facilitating a $150,000 payment at the same time as the National Enquirer payment, in violation of campaign finance laws.
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors said that this payment, and a separate one to another woman alleging an affair with Trump, was made “in coordination with and at the direction of” Trump.
Cohen was sentenced to 36 months in prison Wednesday for a variety of offenses, including the payments.
Because of their cooperation, AMI will not be prosecuted for their role in the payment.
AMI has pledged to distribute to employees “written standards regarding federal election laws” and “to provide cooperation in the future” to prosecutors, according to the agreement announced on Wednesday.
The Enquirer regularly attacked Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton throughout the 2016 campaign.
It made up stories like she only had six months to live, and was going to jail.
The Enquirer is still sold at checkout counters at grocery stores and pharmacies across America.