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Trump “Catch and Kill” Jiu-Jitsu

Predicting the legal game theory surrounding the Stormy Daniels case—and whether Trump’s history with the National Enquirer could manifest a whole new scandal.

donald trump
To wit: Trump allegedly worked with American Media Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, to catch and kill multiple accusations of extramarital affairs. Photo: Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images
Eriq Gardner
March 11, 2024

In just two weeks, Donald Trump is set to begin the first and most salacious of his upcoming criminal trials—facing down a New York jury over 34 felony charges regarding his hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels. The basic facts of that case are largely undisputed: In October 2016, just before the presidential election, Trump instructed Michael Cohen, his erstwhile lawyer, to arrange a $130,000 payment to buy Daniels’ silence about an alleged affair.