A storied former National Enquirer editor is penning a book about Donald Trump’s love life, and may even lift the lid on the controversial relationship between American Media owner David Pecker and the president, according to a report today.
Page Six says that Barry Levine, who was part of a team that uncovered veep candidate John Edwards’ love child, is writing the book for publishers Hachette.
Levine left the Enquirer two years ago, after 17 years at the publication, and is well known in New York media circles.
The Enquirer has been accused of using its financial muscle to buy up the stories of women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump and then burying them.
Karen McDougal, who claims to have had an affair with Trump while he was married to his wife Melania, alleges she was the subject of a so-called ‘catch and kill’ operation to silence her, whereby the magazine bought the exclusive rights to her story but then did not publish it.
Pecker was an old friend and ally of Donald Trump who has been a guest at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and once published a magazine called Trump Style.
However his loyalty has been called into question following revelations that he accepted immunity in the Mueller investigation in August, leading to speculation he may be willing to provide details on whether Trump was involved in paying his accusers hush money.
If Trump did break the law in connection with the hush payments, the testimony of Pecker could provide evidence of the crime, because he was involved in the transactions, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, the National Enquirer became a notable Trump cheerleader, publishing one cover story announcing that Hillary Clinton had six months to live and another that Ted Cruz’s father was “linked to JFK assassination.” Trump repeated the Cruz story on Fox News in May 2016, saying: “His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald’s being—you know, shot.”
