A magazine owned by the president's longstanding friend who is accused of buying a story about Donald Trump's alleged affair with Playmate Karen McDougal, and then killing it, is now using her on its cover.
In a twist to the never ending sagas of the president and his alleged mistresses, woven into questions about how women like McDougal and porn star Stormy Daniels were ultimately paid for their 'silence,' there is a specific caveat to McDougal's story.
In her arrangements with American Media Inc, owned by Trump cronie David Pecker, she was promised at least two cover appearances when her deal was made with Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen leading up to the November 2016 election.
She will be placed on the cover of AMI's Men's Journal in September, in what some at the company believe is the publisher's attempt to stay out of the cross hairs of an investigation into McDougal's 'catch and kill' buyout by the publisher.
The buyout brings into question how her payment was made, and if it violated campaign finance laws by the Trump Campaign.
The publisher is accused of buying her salacious tale of a year-long sexual liaison with Trump, in exchange for various other media coverage that would have behooved the former Playmate.
In her contract, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, which she sought to be released from earlier this year, she had given the company lifetime rights to her story of a sexual relationship with an unidentified 'then-married man'.
In the April lawsuit, AMI agreed to give McDougal back the rights to her story as part of a settlement, but insisted that the Men's Journal cover go forward as planned.
Magazyn będący własnością wieloletniego przyjaciela prezydenta, oskarżonego o kupno opowieści o rzekomym romansie Donalda Trumpa z Playmate Karen McDougal, a następnie zabicie go, teraz używa jej na okładce.
W związku z niekończącymi się sagami prezydenta i jego rzekomych kochanek, wplecione w pytania o to, jak kobiety takie jak McDougal i gwiazda porno Stormy Daniels zostały ostatecznie zapłacone za ich "milczenie", jest pewne zastrzeżenie dla historii McDougala.
W swoich ustaleniach z American Media Inc, należącym do trumpa Davida Peckera, obiecano jej co najmniej dwa występy na okładce, gdy jej umowa została zawarta z prawnikiem Trumpa, Michaelem Cohenem, przed wyborami w listopadzie 2016 roku.
Zostanie ona umieszczona na okładce "Men's Journal" AMI we wrześniu, w czym niektórzy w firmie wierzą, że wydawca próbuje pozostać poza krzyżem włoskiego śledztwa w sprawie wykupu przez McDougala "catch and kill" przez wydawcę.
W wykupie pojawia się pytanie, w jaki sposób została dokonana jej płatność oraz czy naruszyło przepisy dotyczące finansowania kampanii przez kampanię Trump.
Wydawca jest oskarżony o kupowanie jej zdradzieckiej opowieści o rocznym związku seksualnym z Trumpem, w zamian za różne inne relacje w mediach, które byłyby zgodne z wcześniejszym towarzyszem zabaw.
W swojej umowie, jak donosi "Wall Street Journal", którą starała się uwolnić z początku tego roku, dała spółce dożywotnie prawo do swojej historii o związku seksualnym z niezidentyfikowanym "mężczyzną ożenionym".
W kwietniowym procesie sądowym AMI zgodziła się przekazać McDougalowi prawa do jej historii w ramach ugody, ale nalegała, aby okładka magazynu "Men's Journal" była zgodna z planem.
The 2016 contract also guaranteed two magazine covers featuring McDougal and gave the company the option of using her as a fitness columnist.
AMI had used her on a cover of Muscle & Fitness Hers in 2017, which according to a company spokesperson, was the magazine's best-selling issue of that year.
Current and former employees of publisher AMI tell the WSJ they believe McDougal's planned appearance on the cover of September's issue of Men's Journal is intended to protect the company from a federal criminal investigation in New York.
According to sources familiar with the matter, prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether American Media improperly coordinated with Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, to buy McDougal's story of the alleged affair and then not publish her account.
For his part, AMI's CEO, Pecker, has been vocal about his friendship with the president.
Meanwhile an American Media spokesman said Tuesday the planned McDougal cover in Men's Journal was strictly a business decision, due to the contractual commitment in place with McDougal, adding: 'Her first cover in 2017 sold well.'
McDougal was paid $150,000, essentially for her silence on any alleged year-long affair with the president starting in 2006, and prosecutors are looking at if the payment violated any campaign finance laws.
In the unusual choice for a cover subject for Men's Journal- which features predominantly male subjects.
Whatever accompanying content for accompanying article will be completed without any cooperation by McDougal herself, nor is she participating in any photo shoot for the piece.
Some current and former employees believe that in placing McDougal, awkwardly on the cover of Men's Journal, is meant to bolster the company's argument that it entered into an appropriate contract with the former Playmate and that they are placing her on the cover now for editorial reasons and not to benefit any investigation into AMI or Trump's campaign.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
