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Friday 24 august 2018
AP: National Enquirer hid damaging Trump stories in a safe

By JEFF HORWITZ tifying such stories so they ticipate in congressional
Associated Press could be purchased and inquiries.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The their publication avoided." Last March, in response
National Enquirer kept a The Journal reported Peck- to a letter from a group of
safe containing docu- er shared with prosecutors House Democrats about
ments on hush money pay- details about payments the Daniels and McDougal
ments and other damag- that Cohen says Trump di- payments, American Me-
ing stories it killed as part rected in the weeks and dia general counsel Cam-
of its cozy relationship with months before the elec- eron Stracher declined to
Donald Trump leading up tion to buy the silence of provide any documents,
to the 2016 presidential McDougal and another writing that the company
election, people familiar woman alleging an affair, was "exempt" from U.S.
with the arrangement told porn star Stormy Daniels. campaign finance laws
The Associated Press. Daniels was paid $130,000, because it is a news pub-
The detail came as several and McDougal was paid lisher and it was "confident"
media outlets reported on $150,000. it had complied with all tax
Thursday that federal pros- While Trump denies the laws. He also rebuffed any
ecutors had granted im- affairs, his account of his suggestion that America
munity to National Enquirer In this Jan. 31, 2014 photo, David Pecker, Chairman and CEO of knowledge of the pay- Media Inc., or AMI, had le-
chief David Pecker, po- American Media, addresses those attending the Shape & Men's ments has shifted. In April, verage over the president
tentially laying bare his ef- Fitness Super Bowl Party in New York. Trump denied he knew because of its catch-and-
forts to protect his longtime Associated Press anything about the Daniels kill practices.
friend Trump. payment. He told Fox News "AMI states unequivocally
Trump's former lawyer Mi- and-kill deals, in which ex- tion, according to one per- in an interview aired Thurs- that any suggestion that it
chael Cohen pleaded clusive rights to people's son directly familiar with the day that he knew about would seek to 'extort' the
guilty this week to cam- stories were bought with events. payments "later on." President of the United
paign finance violations no intention of publishing It was unclear whether the In July, Cohen released States through the exercise
alleging he, Trump and to keep them out of the documents were destroyed an audio tape in which he of its editorial discretion
the tabloid were involved news. By keeping celebri- or simply were moved to a and Trump discussed plans is outrageous, offensive,
in buying the silence of a ties' embarrassing secrets, location known to fewer to buy McDougal's story and wholly without merit,"
porn actress and a Playboy the company was able to people. from the Enquirer. Such a Stracher wrote in a letter
model who alleged affairs ingratiate itself with them American Media did not purchase was necessary, obtained by The Associ-
with Trump. and ask for favors in return. immediately respond to a they suggested, to prevent ated Press.
Several people familiar But after The Wall Street request for comment. Trump from having to per- Former Enquirer employees
with the National Enquirer's Journal initially published Pecker's immunity deal was manently rely on a tight re- who spoke to the AP said
parent company, Ameri- the first details of Playboy first reported Thursday by lationship with the tabloid. that negative stories about
can Media Inc., who spoke model Karen McDougal's Vanity Fair and The Wall "You never know where Trump were dead on arrival
to the AP on the condi- catch-and-kill deal shortly Street Journal, citing anon- that company — you never dating back more than a
tion of anonymity because before the 2016 election, ymous sources. Vanity Fair know what he's gonna be decade when he starred
they signed non-disclosure those assets became a li- reported that Howard also —" Cohen says. on NBC's reality show "The
agreements, said the safe ability. Fearful that the was granted immunity. "David gets hit by a truck," Apprentice."
was a great source of pow- documents might be used Court papers in the Cohen Trump says. In 2010, at Cohen's urging,
er for Pecker, the compa- against American Media, case say Pecker "offered "Correct," Cohen replies. the National Enquirer be-
ny's CEO. Pecker and the company's to help deal with negative "So, I'm all over that." gan promoting a potential
The Trump records were chief content officer, Dylan stories about (Trump's) re- While Pecker is cooperat- Trump presidential candi-
stored alongside similar Howard, removed them lationships with women by, ing with federal prosecu- dacy, referring readers to a
documents pertaining to from the safe in the weeks among other things, assist- tors now, American Media pro-Trump website Cohen
other celebrities' catch- before Trump's inaugura- ing the campaign in iden- previously declined to par- helped create. q

John Lennon's killer denied parole for 10th time

By MARY ESCH undermine respect for the someone who was not only notoriety.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — John law." a world renown person and As Chapman faced the
Lennon's killer has been de- Chapman, 63, shot and beloved by millions, regard- parole panel Wednesday,
nied parole for a 10th time killed the former Beatle out- less of the pain and suffer- politicians and fans called
and will remain behind bars side Lennon's Manhattan ing you would cause to his for his release to be denied
for at least two more years. apartment on Dec. 8, 1980. family, friends and so many during a rally at Strawberry
Mark David Chapman ap- He is serving 20-years-to-life others, you demonstrated Fields, Lennon's memorial in
peared before New York's in the Wende Correctional a callous disregard for the Central Park across from his
parole board on Wednes- Facility in western New York. sanctity of human life and former home.
day. In a denial decision "You admittedly carefully the pain and suffering of A transcript of the parole
obtained by The Associ- planned and executed the others." hearing wasn't immedi-
ated Press Thursday, the murder of a world-famous It said releasing Chapman ately released. At previ-
board said it had deter- person for no reason other would not only "tend to ous hearings, Chapman
mined Chapman's release This Jan. 31, 2018 photo, pro- than to gain notoriety," the mitigate the seriousness of has said he still gets letters
"would be incompatible vided by the New York State parole panel wrote in its your crime," but also would about the pain he caused
with the welfare and safe- Department of Corrections, denial decision. "While no endanger public safety be- and was sorry for choosing
shows Mark David Chapman,
ty of society and would the man who killed John Len- one person's life is any more cause someone might try the wrong path to fame.
so deprecate the serious non on Dec. 8, 1980. valuable than another's to harm him out of anger or Chapman will be up for pa-
nature of the crime as to Associated Press life, the fact that you chose revenge or to gain similar role again in August 2020.q