It was a shocking claim: Donald Trump was recorded making a public threat against his long-time friend, publisher David Pecker, before the former National Enquirer publisher took the stand again in the Hush Trump New York trial. The media reported that "Trump said" those words. The claim was stunning. And it was shocking.
And then came the rest of the story. MSNBC and Joy Reid, hang your head. Deadline, where's the correction? And this prosecutor-pushed and media-amplified deception could land former President Trump in Rikers.
Let's go over the tick-tock of this deception.
Prosecutors convinced Judge Juan Merchant to issue a gag order on the former president and current presidential candidate. Gag orders are traditionally issued to preserve the rights of the accused, but this is Donald Trump, and the rules don't apply.
Rules don't apply to Trump on election denialism, either. That's a conspiracy theory, we're told. But prosecutors allege that Trump stole the 2016 election. Their case hinges on it.
They claim Trump broke federal election law, even though the feds declined to bring a case after they looked at the evidence. But then, mere days ago, prosecutors zip-tied another alleged offense on Trump: a state crime for attempting to influence an election. This was news to everyone, including the Trump defense team. Lawlessness on the part of prosecutors? Of course. But this is Donald Trump, and the rules don't apply.
That the judge hasn't dismissed this case before now is a wonder. Or an explanation for why he hasn't.
And now we are led to believe that on Thursday on live TV, on the streets of New York, and in front of scores of construction workers and others, Trump openly threatened David Pecker, who was still scheduled to testify that day.
Related: This New York City Prosecution of Trump Is a Dangerous Legal Jenga Game for Democrats
The incident was identified by prosecutors as another gag order transgression.
Deadline Hollywood dutifully reported Thursday's incident on Friday:
The last was at a construction site in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday where Trump visited with workers before heading to court. There, Trump addressed himself to the prosecution’s first witness, David Pecker, the former CEO of National Enquirer publisher American Media. “This is a message to Pecker: Be nice,” Trump said. [emphasis added]
"'This is a message to Pecker: Be nice,' Trump said," Deadline reported.
Deadline Hollywood isn't the first place one goes for political news, but I don't discount it, especially when it's a quotation.
But then I tracked back the "quote."
Judge for yourself if this statement and the context therein is "witness intimidation."
'Witness intimidation' pic.twitter.com/yCj34Mjxmf
— Victoria Taft, The Adult in the Room, FITF Squad (@VictoriaTaft) April 29, 2024
Surprise! What the media claimed was a quote was not a quote at all.
And eventually, Deadline changed its story but didn't tell the readers it had made a BIG boo boo.
In its third version of the story, according to Wayback Machine, this is what happened to the quote by "Trump."
The last was at a construction site in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday where Trump visited with workers before heading to court. There, Trump talked about the prosecution’s first witness, David Pecker, the former CEO of National Enquirer publisher American Media, calling him “a nice guy.” Prosecutor Chris Conroy said, “This is a message to Pecker: Be nice.”
Oh. So, President Trump didn't say that, Deadline? Prosecutor Chris Conroy formed your talking points?
And he formed Joy Reid and MSNBC's band of loons talking points.
Based on what, exactly? https://t.co/draH2XSAa2
— Victoria Taft, The Adult in the Room, FITF Squad (@VictoriaTaft) April 29, 2024
There are plenty of reasons why the gag order on Trump is unconstitutional and intentionally prejudicial, but witness intimation is indefensible.
And he did not do it.
PJ Media thought you would like to know.
I was expecting to write a story about Donald Trump completely blowing his unconstitutional gag order. And then I found out the truth and wrote about it. The prosecutors, with political and professional axes to grind, convinced these media dilweeds that Trump was intimidating a witness.
And you saw it for yourself. Good gawd, y'all.
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