The National Enquirer's safe once reportedly held a treasure trove of Trump-related documents


The National Enquirer used to have documents in its safe related to damaging stories about President Trump that it never published, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press Thursday.
American Media Inc. CEO David Pecker, who publishes the Enquirer, is one of Trump's longtime friends. On Tuesday, Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, and said he had been directed by Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election to pay off two women who said they had affairs with him. Pecker, who reportedly has been granted immunity by federal prosecutors, also shared with prosecutors details of the payments Cohen made.
Right before the election, The Wall Street Journal published a story about Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Trump. The Journal reported that the Enquirer bought her story with the intention of never running it, in order to protect Trump. Former employees told AP that the Enquirer made these "catch-and-kill deals" with lots of people so they could gain the trust of celebrities and then ask them for favors down the road.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
AMI chief content officer Dylan Howard and Pecker, afraid someone would come to American Media Inc. looking for documents related to McDougal and the other deals, removed the paperwork from the safe sometime before Trump's inauguration, AP reports. It's unknown if the documents were destroyed or placed in a safe somewhere else. Read more about Trump's close connection to the Enquirer at The Associated Press.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Trump wants to revive coal. Will it work?
Talking Points Wind, solar and natural gas are ascendant
-
Is the first AI ‘actor’ the beginning of Hollywood’s existential crisis?
Today's Big Question 'Tilly Norwood' sparks a backlash
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland
-
Trump declares new tariffs on drugs, trucks, furniture
Speed Read He's putting tariffs of 25% on semi trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and 100% on certain drugs
-
Amazon reaches ‘historic’ $2.5B Prime settlement
speed read The company allegedly tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership that was then difficult to cancel
-
Trump DOJ indicts Comey, longtime Trump target
Speed Read The president is using the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies