Now evidence

JFK's secret son? National Enquirer headlines from 2016 are now evidence at Trump's trial

Michael Cohen called David Pecker to plant a variety of stories in the tabloid, Pecker said.

BEN FEUERHERD

David Pecker described a backchannel he had with Michael Cohen that would allow the former fixer and lawyer to plant negative stories about Donald Trump’s political opponents in the National Enquirer.

Pecker told the jury that Cohen would call him periodically around the spring of 2016 and offer stories to the supermarket tabloid to smear Trump’s GOP opponents.

Headlines published thereafter included: “Bungling Surgeon Ben Carson Left Sponge In Patient’s Brain!” and “Ted Cruz shamed by porn star,” according to evidence introduced at trial.

Prior to prosecutor Joshua Steinglass showing the headlines in court, Trump attorney Todd Blanche whispered to the former president, smiled and appeared to laugh.

The National Enquirer also published a series of articles that were favorable to Trump.

Those included pieces such as: “John F. Kennedy’s Secret Son Endorses Donald Trump” and “Obama’s Half-Brother — Cheering On Donald At Debate.”