Thread by @rgoodlaw

NYT scoop: "David Pecker...is set to go first" as prosecution witness. ⬇️

Pecker could be key witness - in ways more devastating than Michael Cohen.

This also indicates DA is foregrounding unlawful election influence for jurors.

hat tip: @AWeissmann_
nytimes.com/2024/04/21/nyr…

2/ As this Timeline shows, Pecker's testimony should be strong proof of core allegation that the hush money scheme was geared toward influencing the outcome of the presidential election.

justsecurity.org/85761/timeline…

3/ Pecker was principal at August 2015 Trump Tower meeting with Trump and Michael Cohen setting up catch-and-kill election operation.

Great WSJ reporting⤵️

"What can you do to help my campaign? he asked, according to people familiar with the meeting."

wsj.com/articles/donal…

@joe_palazzolo @mrothfeld @rebeccadobrien @rebeccaballhaus 4/ Here's the passage from the NY Indictment indicating the evidence the DA - including through Pecker's own testimony - can present re the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting, which set the whole scheme in motion.

link: manhattanda.org/wp-content/upl…

@joe_palazzolo @mrothfeld @rebeccadobrien @rebeccaballhaus 5/ Here's the "Statement of Admitted Facts" in David Pecker's AMI Company's Non-Prosecution Agreement (with the feds).⤵️

They admit to key facts that are now a part of the Trump criminal prosecution.

link: justsecurity.org/wp-content/upl…

@joe_palazzolo @mrothfeld @rebeccadobrien @rebeccaballhaus 6/ Pecker will also likely testify about his involvement in flurry of phone calls, day after the Access Hollywood tape broke, to buy-and-bury Stormy Daniels' story.

Note the call logs. ⤵️

(including reporting from great book, The Fixers by @joe_palazzolo @mrothfeld)

@joe_palazzolo @mrothfeld @rebeccadobrien @rebeccaballhaus 7/ Pecker also likely to testify about his conversations directly with Trump and Cohen in December 2016 - on the arrangement for Trump to reimburse Cohen for the hush money payment to Daniels.

@joe_palazzolo @mrothfeld @rebeccadobrien @rebeccaballhaus 8/ David Pecker's likely dynamite evidence of nexus between hush money scheme and effort to influence election includes:

"In the summer of 2017, the Defendant invited the AMI CEO to the White House for a dinner to thank him for his help during the campaign." (DA indictment doc)

@joe_palazzolo @mrothfeld @rebeccadobrien @rebeccaballhaus 9/9 The NYT scoop (in first post in this tweet thread) is by Ben Protess and @Jonesieman.

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nytimes.com/2024/04/21/nyr…