Trump hush money trial live: Defense cross-examines David Pecker

David Pecker has come off as a truthful, reliable witness.

This is someone who said he considered Donald Trump a mentor, had a decades long relationship with him, and even now doesn’t harbor any ill will towards the ex-president.

That is presumably why the defense didn’t come out swinging, but chose instead to try to lead him where they wanted. Bove tried to frame the “catch-and-kill” scheme – and even his cooperation with prosecutors – as a business decision.

The phrase “standard operating procedure” featured often, as Bove went slowly through agreements, invoices and ledger entries related to Karen McDougal.

The defense lawyer also got Pecker to recount that McDougal’s agreement did include real obligations, and that he had told Cohen that it was “bullet proof” after consulting with a campaign attorney.

But under cross-examination, prosecutors tried to leave no room for doubt.

Pecker reiterated that the true purpose of McDougal’s contract was to acquire the life rights to her story, and that the “catch-and-kill” scheme was to benefit Donald Trump’s campaign.

The defense, therefore, didn’t succeed in making a significant dent in the prosecution’s narrative.