Arnold Schwarzenegger Allegedly Asked Tabloid Exec to Bury Negative Stories About Him Ahead of Governor Race

David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer, took the stand for the third day in Donald Trump's New York criminal trial, revealing that he did have legal concerns about buying a story to assist a political candidate after a prior experience with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The former American Media Inc. CEO allegedly helped cover up damning stories about Trump amid his pursuit of the oval office in 2016, as RadarOnline.com previously reported, claiming he would serve as his "eyes and ears" in the news world.

Pecker is believed to have played a key role in the suspected scheme behind the $130k hush money payment to former adult film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an affair that Daniels allegedly had with Trump sometime before the presidential election.

Trump denied having an affair with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records at the center of his criminal trial.

When asked by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass about whether or not he feared the repercussions of paying to kill a story tied to a political figure, Pecker said under oath that he had been concerned because of a past situation with Schwarzenegger from 2002 to 2003.

Pecker was the CEO of NE's parent company, American Media Inc., from 1999 until he resigned in 2020.

The former tabloid exec detailed how he met with the action star-turned-politician as he prepared to buy a number of publications, including Men's Fitness, which were known to feature Schwarzenegger as their cover star.

"I plan on running for governor and I would like for you not to publish any negative stories on me," Schwarzenegger said, Pecker testified. "Now or in the future."

Pecker agreed and was soon bombarded with calls about the famed bodybuilder after Schwarzenegger announced that he was running for governor, revealing, "a number of women called up the National Enquirer about stories that they have to sell on different relationships or contacts and sexual harassment that they felt that Arnold Schwarzenegger did."

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The exec said he would inform Schwarzenegger of the stories and purchase them "for a period of time." He claimed that one of the stories he purchased was from a woman who took her claims elsewhere, noting the Los Angeles Times published the piece.

Schwarzenegger had once told reporters "ask my friend David Pecker" when grilled about the subject. "It gave me a sensitivity about buying any stories in the future," Pecker testified.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr.'s team claimed that Pecker and Trump's ex-attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, met with Trump at Trump Tower sometime in 2015 to discuss how Pecker could help quash negative stories about the politician.

Pecker was granted immunity back in 2018 after speaking to prosecutors about Cohen's $130k payment to Daniels.

Pecker and America Media Inc. admitted to paying another woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, $150k in 2018 to "catch and kill" an alleged story about her year-long affair with Trump, which he repeatedly denied.