Trump's lawyers to grill ex-tabloid publisher as first week of hush money trial testimony wraps

Former US president Donald Trump speaks to the media at Manhattan criminal court during the continuation of his trial (Spencer Platt/AP)

MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ, JAKE OFFENHARTZ and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

After prosecutors’ lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defense lawyers in Donald Trump’s hush money trial are poised Friday to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.

David Pecker will return to the witness stand for the fourth day as defense attorneys try to poke holes in his testimony after he described helping bury embarrassing stories that Trump feared could hurt his campaign.