Karen McDougal is a name that has been popping up in the news over the past few years, particularly in relation to her alleged affair with former President Donald Trump. McDougal, a former Playboy model, has been at the center of a legal battle over the rights to the story of her relationship with Trump. As the case continues to make headlines, many are left wondering who is Karen McDougal, and what role has she played in this ongoing controversy? In this article, we will take a closer look at McDougal’s life, career, and her connection to Trump.
Former US President Donald Trump is facing a criminal case for allegedly having an affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal. McDougal, a former actress and model, claims to have had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006 and 2007. However, Trump has denied any such affair. McDougal was paid $150,000 by American Media Inc (AMI) for the rights to her story, as it was expected to create negative publicity for Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016. This practice is known as “catch and kill” and a non-prosecution agreement acknowledging this arrangement was signed with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in 2018.
The criminal case against Trump alleges that he did not want McDougal’s story to go public because of how it could impact his presidential candidacy. Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, and David Pecker, former CEO of AMI and a long-time friend of Trump, both agreed that Trump would reimburse AMI. However, Pecker ultimately changed his mind and did not seek reimbursement after speaking with a company lawyer. AMI’s payment to McDougal was later found by the US Federal Election Commission to be an illegal campaign contribution amounting to $187,500 that benefited Trump.
One of the two alleged affairs at the heart of the criminal case against Trump involves porn star Stormy Daniels, who received $130,000 from Cohen shortly before the 2016 election for the same reason. Both Daniels and Cohen have confirmed that the payment was made to buy Daniels’ silence about her alleged affair with Trump. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign-finance charges related to his payments to Daniels.
Trump has denied having sexual relationships with either woman but has acknowledged reimbursing Cohen. The criminal case against Trump centers on whether he and his associates broke the law by making payments to these women, which were not declared as campaign contributions.
The payment made to McDougal by AMI, in particular, has led to multiple investigations and legal cases, including a lawsuit filed by McDougal. A judge eventually ruled that the non-prosecution agreement with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office did not shield AMI from lawsuits, which meant that McDougal could discuss her alleged affair with Trump in public.
In conclusion, the criminal case against Donald Trump involves allegations of two affairs with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, respectively. Both women were paid hush money to keep their affairs with Trump a secret, which the US Federal Election Commission ruled were illegal campaign contributions. The case centers on whether Trump and his associates broke the law by making these payments and not declaring them as contributions.
