Who is Karen McDougal? The Potential Witness in Trump’s Hush Money Trial

The hush money trial for Donald Trump has twelve jurors and six alternates sworn in, and the attorneys are getting ready to cross-examine witnesses. Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, is probably one of them.

Trump is charged with 34 felonies for allegedly fabricating business records to cover up a payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels in the guise of legal fees. Before the 2016 election, Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 and an additional $150,000 to prevent McDougal from telling her own story about Trump.

McDougal’s hush money payment is unrelated to Trump’s allegations, but she might still make a statement.

Here are some facts regarding McDougal:

Who is Karen McDougal?

McDougal used to be a model for Playboy. McDougal claimed that she had an alleged ten-month affair with Trump beginning in 2006; he disputes this.

In 2016, Michael Cohen, the convicted felon and former Trump attorney, worked with the National Enquirer to arrange a “catch and kill” deal for McDougal’s story. Cohen funded McDougal’s story rights, which the tabloid paid $150,000 for.

The Federal Election Commission fined American Media Inc. (AMI) $187,500 for allowing The National Enquirer to publish the payment with the intention of influencing the election. McDougal has since spoken out about the affair and sued the company as well.

“AMI repeatedly intimidated and manipulated me, made empty promises, and lied to me,” McDougal claimed in a statement that was previously given to USA TODAY. “I just want the opportunity to set the record straight and move on with my life, free from this company, its executives and its lawyers.”

A Potential Star Witness For David Pecker

David Pecker, the former CEO of the National Enquirer’s parent company, is expected to be the first witness in Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Pecker’s testimony is expected to focus on the company’s practice of routinely paying for scandalous stories that it did not publish, which some have dubbed a “catch-and-kill” strategy.

In August 2015, Pecker was president and CEO of AMI when he met with Trump and his personal lawyer, Cohen, to “help deal with negative stories about Trump” by purchasing and not publishing them, according to a Federal Election Commission agreement with the company.

According to the FEC agreement, Pecker and Dylan Howard, the company’s vice president and chief content officer, informed Cohen when a McDougal attorney approached the business.

According to the FEC agreement, the company paid McDougal $150,000 in August 2016 for her life narrative, which included information on any relationships she may have had with “any then-married man,” but they chose not to publish the account.

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