American Media, Inc., the parent company of The National Enquirer, has fired David Pecker, its Chief Executive Officer, as it prepares for a takeover by another company, HuffPost reports.
A firm ally of President Trump, Pecker was implicated in the money laundering and “catch-n-kill” scandals to help wrap up sticky stories of Trump’s multiple extramarital affairs before they came to a head.
Pecker was responsible for covering up the stories of Stormy Daniels and Karen MacDougal, the thrust of which would’ve damaged Trump’s public image and tainted him as a serial adulterer.
However, Pecker may have screwed Trump by providing information to federal prosecutors about the hush money payments made to the women through Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. While Trump has a long history of stiffing contractors, he laid out the funds, some conveyed by Trump Organization checks signed by Trump himself after he became president.
The value of AMI deflated in recent years as print publications lost their value due to an impotent advertising market. While AMI was able to cock the hammer on a number of potential takeovers in recent years, it was never able to get the money shot, particularly after being covered in the gunk of the Trump sex scandal.