Friday thread: Bragg's case against Trump may not rest on Stormy Daniels

The Wall Street Journal reports details not reported previously, that the grand jury was focused on the case of a hush money payment to Karen McDougal, the Playboy Playmate.

Much of the media for months has focused on the Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg investigating the hush money payments to porn start Stormy Daniels by Donald Trump. Paid via the Trump Organization in incremental payments to Michael Cohen — who paid Daniels in a lump sum, taking out a home equity loan. That would be a violation of New York business law — a cover-up about payments — and possibly a campaign finance violation.

But no one knows for sure what the investigation hinges on because grand juries are shrouded in secrecy. And we have yet to see the indictment — though it’s reportedly over 30 counts — which is sealed until next week.

Now the Wall Street Journal reports that sources in the office tell them the case also focused on a $150,000 payment to Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal — paid via the National Enquirer, as a “catch and kill” operation — which Michael Cohen and Trump negotiated with David Pecker, CEO of the Enquirer. Trump had an affair with McDougal in 2006.

And that case would provide much more solid evidence of a campaign finance violation.

The WSJ, by the way, broke the McDougal story, in November of 2016 ; WSJ is behind a strict paywall so I will not link but will copy key parts of it, and offer explanation and analysis below.