Donald Trump Doorman’s Account May Play Key Role in Fraud Case

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The inclusion of a book by a former Trump Tower doorman in a list of witness testimony presented to the grand jury in the criminal investigation of Donald Trump has prompted questions about its importance to the prosecution’s case.

In April, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with alleged hush payments made during the 2016 election campaign. He is the first former president to face criminal cases in US history.

This follows Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into Trump’s alleged involvement in payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claimed Cohen paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. Cohen previously said Trump paid her .

A security guard stands at the door of Trump Tower in New York on March 7, 2021. Questions have been raised about the role of a book by a Trump Tower doorman in the fraud case against the former president. KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

Trump has denied having a sexual relationship with Daniels as well as any financial wrongdoing.

The lawsuit against Trump alleges that he used payments through associates to individuals that could harm his electoral chances in the 2016 presidential election and improperly disclosed the payments on election filings or tax returns.

The list of publications released Friday included books by Cohen, Daniels and several by Trump himself.

However, it also includes Trump Doorman, a 2019 book written by Dino Sajudin, who according to Bragg’s statement of facts in the case against Trump was paid $30,000 by American Media Inc. (AMI) for exclusive rights.

In the book, Sajudin claims that Trump had a child out of wedlock with a Trump Tower concierge—a claim that both the woman and Trump have denied in various outlets.

According to Bragg, in November 2015, David Pecker, then AMI’s CEO, learned that Sajudin had attempted to sell the information, and at his direction, the company signed an agreement that led to the payment.

“AMI misrepresented this payment in AMI’s books and records, including its general ledger,” Bragg said. He added that after AMI concluded the story was false, an unnamed lawyer “instructed” Pecker not to release Sajudin from the settlement until after the election.

“I don’t know why Mr. Sajudin’s book is on the Manhattan DA’s discovery list, but I sure would like to know,” tweeted Lisa Rubin, a former attorney and legal analyst for MSNBC, noting that the book “really appeared [out] for me.”

“Watch this space,” he added.

But what really stood out for me was a book by Dino Sajudin, a former Trump World Tower doorman who was paid by the National Enquirers’ parent company, American Media, for his story that Trump had a child out of wedlock with a concierge at that building. 6/

— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) May 27, 2023

Although the allegations contained in the book are both Bragg’s and Trump’s accounts false, AMI’s $30,000 payment could be used by the prosecution in an attempt to demonstrate a policy of suppressing stories that may have been damaging to Trump during his first term. White House. bid—a practice known as “catch and kill”—regardless of their truth.

Pecker, who until August 2020 was the publisher of various titles including the National Enquirer, has been described as a friend and ally of Trump.

In 2018, AMI admitted paying Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, $150,000 to keep quiet about a relationship with Trump—a decision it said was made “in conjunction” with Trump’s presidential campaign, Reuters reported. Cohen also pleaded guilty to his duty to make this payment.

Newsweek reached out to Pecker by email and the Manhattan district attorney’s office by direct message for comment on Monday.

In a hearing in Manhattan on May 23, Judge Juan Merchan set a date of March 25 next year for the start of the criminal trial, with a further hearing to take place in October this year.

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