Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's past personal weaknesses resurfaced in former President Trump's trial over allegations he paid money to a porn star in an attempt to cover up their sexual relationship.
Former National Enquirer editor David Pecker testified Thursday that he was reluctant to pay a Playboy model who claimed to have an extramarital affair with Trump because of her experience with Schwarzenegger during his 2003 gubernatorial campaign.
“Several women called” the tabloid with allegations about encounters with Schwarzenegger, Pecker said, adding that before the bodybuilder-turned-movie star's gubernatorial run, he had reached an agreement with Schwarzenegger in which he would “call him and let him know any problem”. stories that were out there and I ended up buying them for a period of time.”
Pecker made the comments while testifying about suppressing stories about Trump's relationships with Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The trial centers on a $130,000 payment to Daniels to keep her from disclosing an alleged 2006 meeting with Trump, 77. He has denied having affairs with both women.
'Catch and kill'
The case centers on “catch and kill,” a strategy by tabloids like the Enquirer to obtain the rights to a story and then bury it.
Pecker testified that between 30 and 40 women approached his company after Schwarzenegger announced his run for governor in 2003 over alleged sexual relationships or harassment by the actor, and said he spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to obtain the rights. of women's stories.
The Times reported in 2005 that days after Schwarzenegger entered the race, the editor of the Enquirer agreed to pay a woman $20,000 to sign a confidentiality agreement about an alleged affair with the action movie star and signed a $1,000 contract with one of her friends.
Governor as magazine editor
In the run-up to the election, The Times reported that more than a dozen women had accused Schwarzenegger of groping them, and after he left office, the newspaper reported that he had fathered a child with a member of his household staff while he was married to the Kennedy heir. and former journalist Maria Shriver.
Months after Schwarzenegger was elected governor, Pecker announced that the former Mr. Universe would serve as executive editor of Muscle & Fitness and FLEX magazines, roles that The Times reported would pay him millions of dollars to run.
Schwarzenegger ended the agreement in 2005 after The Times and Sacramento Bee reported it, according to the Times report.
Representatives for the former governor did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
A caustic relationship
Cross-examination Thursday by Trump attorney Emil Bove led Pecker to describe his agreement with Schwarzenegger and his subsequent qualms about dealings with Trump because of how those agreements fit under campaign finance laws.
The former president has had a caustic relationship with Schwarzenegger, who replaced Trump as host of the reality competition show “Celebrity Apprentice” and has spoken out against his fellow Republican.
Since leaving office in 2011, Schwarzenegger has restarted his career in Hollywood while focusing his political efforts on fighting climate change and gerrymandering. After the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, he spoke in particular of his personal experiences as a child in Austria after World War II.
