‘Boss will take care of it’: David Pecker opens up on Donald Trump buying Karen McDougal story for $150K

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, resumed his testimony on Thursday, April 24, as a key witness against Donald Trump in the hush money trial.

Pecker revealed to prosecutors that he had advised Trump on purchasing the story of Karen McDougal but when he insisted on who will pay for it, he was told "The boss will take care of it."

How did David Pecker negotiate the Karen McDougal affair story with Donald Trump?

Pecker on Tuesday, April 23, testified that he first learned about McDougal through Dylan Howard, the former editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer when he received a call from sources in June 2016.

When asked by prosecutors about the nature of the relationship, Pecker confirmed it was "romantic."

On Thursday, April 24, Pecker further testified that McDougal had told Howard she did not want her story about Trump to be published and even when Dylan Howard offered Karen McDougal $10,000 for her story for National Enquirer, "she refused."

“She said she didn’t want to be the next Monica Lewinsky … She wanted to restart her career,” Pecker said, as per The Guardian.

He, Michael Cohen, and Dylan Howard then discussed buying McDougal’s story for $150,000 to kill it, considering other potential offers she said she was receiving including a Mexican group.

Donald Trump’s involvement in purchasing Karen McDougal's story and calling her a 'nice girl'

Pecker said he had a call with Donald Trump in June 2016 where Trump said he spoke to Cohen about McDougal.

Trump referred to McDougal as a “nice girl” and asked Pecker whether he believed a Mexican group existed that wanted to buy her story.

However, Pecker advised Trump to buy the story and "take it off the market" because he believed it was true and would have been "very embarrassing to Trump" and his campaign.

After speaking with Trump, Pecker said Michael Cohen followed up and advised him to go ahead with purchasing the story.

Despite Pecker’s belief that most of the content was old news files, Cohen said Trump still wanted it. Pecker quoted Cohen as saying, “The boss said that if I got hit by a bus or if the company was sold, he did not want someone else to potentially publish those stories.”

When Pecker asked who would pay for the story once Dylan Howard had negotiated the price with Karen McDougal, Cohen told him he should, reassuring him, “I’m your friend, don’t worry about it, the boss will take care of it.”

"Michael, why should I pay?" Pecker said as he asked Cohen, "I just paid $30,000 for the doorman story. Now your’e asking me to pay $150,000 for the Karen story."

Pecker also said that Trump was the one who would authorize the payments, stating, “Every time," he and Cohen went out for lunch, "I always paid, adding, "I didn’t think (Cohen) had any authorization without Mr Trump’s approval.”

How did Karen McDougal work for American Media to substantiate her $150,000 payment for her story?

In addition to $150,000 for her lifetime rights, Pecker said that McDougal had several other requests to buy her silence, including being able to write for celebrity magazines for which "ghost writers" were hired.

It also included appearing on the cover of health and fitness magazines and starting her fitness clothing line and beauty product line.

She also wanted to work as a red-carpet anchor. David Pecker said that the main purpose of the agreement was to buy “life rights” to McDougal’s story.

It included what McDougal would do for American Media to “substantiate the $150,000 payment.”

Prosecutors reportedly also showed an invoice McDougal’s attorney sent to American Media and a record of the wire transfer for the $150,000 payment for her story.

When asked whether his principal intention in buying Karen McDougal’s story was to suppress it and prevent it from interfering in the election, David Pecker said, “Yes it was.”

Internet reacts to Donald Trump assuring David Pecker after he bought Karen McDougal's story

“'The boss will take care of it'. Pecker confirms this all came from Trump!" wrote as user on X. On said these were the famous last words, "Why worry? I'm your friend. The Boss will take care of it." famous last words." 

One more wrote, "How many times while in the White House have elected officials expressed concerns regarding acts on the request of Trump they knew to be illegal but were told 'Don't worry about it. The Boss will take care of it.'"

 '"I'm heading downstairs to my bank. I'm going to ask them to pay $150,000 for a boat, which will not be collateral. I'm going to tell them "Don't worry about it. I'm your friend. The boss will take care of it,"' joked an X user. 

"The boss will take care of it ….. Give me a break," one more laughed by posting a meme.  

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.