Dylan Howard’s alleged role in Donald Trump hush money deal

New detail has revealed how an Australian allegedly helped “catch and kill” stories about Donald Trump’s alleged affairs.

Donald Trump will this week become the first US president to face a criminal trial over a hush money scheme during his 2016 election campaign which an Australian journalist allegedly helped to orchestrate.

The former US president – who is now the frontrunner to win this year’s election and return to power – is accused of falsifying business records over a $US130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to bury her allegation that they had a brief affair.

And Dylan Howard, the former editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer, has been a key witness in the bombshell case against Mr Trump.

He was a central player in the “catch-and-kill” scheme in which negative stories about Mr Trump’s relationships with women were bought and buried with the help of the tabloid outlet.

Mr Howard, who is not facing charges in relation to the saga, gave evidence last year on behalf of New York prosecutors who convinced a grand jury to give the green light to the historic 34-count indictment against Mr Trump.

Dylan Howard pictured with former US president Donald Trump in the White House. Picture: Shealah Craighead.

The former president last week failed in several last-ditch bids to delay the trial, with jury selection set to begin on Tuesday.

Evidence tendered in other proceedings allegedly showed how Mr Howard connected lawyers for Mr Trump and Ms Daniels on the “business opportunity” and helped “get it sorted”.

The Australian – who was also the chief content officer at American Media, Inc. (AMI), which publishes the National Enquirer, under the tabloid empire’s boss David Pecker – allegedly told Mr Trump’s fixer it “could look awfully bad for everyone” if they could not “co-ordinate something.”

Donald Trump with Stormy Daniels, in 2006. Picture: Supplied

That came after he signed an AMI-funded $US150,000 contract with former Playboy model Karen McDougal to silence her claim of an affair with Mr Trump, which AMI later admitted to avoid charges.

On the night of the 2016 election, in an alleged exchange detailed in a Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigation, Mr Howard told a relative: “At least if he wins, I’ll be pardoned for electoral fraud.”

Mr Howard’s lawyer John Harris said that comment was “gallows humour”, and that the former Seven Network reporter had “always fully co-operated with government inquiries regarding his former employer’s relationship with Donald Trump”.

“Mr Howard was a witness in these inquiries. He will not comment on the substance of his testimony,” he said.

“Mr Howard has no comment on whether he will testify in the case against Donald Trump.”

THE TRUMP TOWER MEETING

The catch-and-kill scheme was set in motion at Trump Tower in August 2015, two months after Mr Trump announced his first White House run, according to a statement of facts filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg when he charged him a year ago.

Mr Pecker, a friend of Mr Trump, visited the Republican candidate and his lawyer Michael Cohen to offer to help deal with negative stories about Mr Trump’s relationships with women.

David Pecker, who was chairman and chief executive of American Media, publisher of the National Enquirer. Picture: Reuters

Former US President Donald Trump who has pleaded not guilty at this stage. Picture: AFP

In an agreement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to avoid prosecution in 2018, AMI admitted Mr Pecker said he would assist Mr Trump’s campaign “in identifying such stories so they could be purchased and their publication avoided.”

Mr Cohen later told a congressional inquiry that Mr Pecker and Mr Howard would then contact him when “there’s a story that’s percolating out there that you may be interested in”.

THE DOORMAN AND THE LOVE CHILD

In October 2015, a former Trump Tower doorman contacted the National Enquirer and alleged Mr Trump had an affair with a woman in the building, resulting in a secret love child.

Dino Sajudin signed a contract with AMI promising $US30,000 if it published a story from information he provided “regarding Donald Trump’s illegitimate child”.

Dino Sajudin – Donald Trump’s former doorman. Picture: Supplied

Michael Cohen, who was Trump’s atoorney. Picture: AFP

A month later, however, Mr Cohen learned of the story and asked AMI not to publish it, according to an FEC report. Mr Sajudin then received $US30,000 from AMI as part of a new agreement in which he would have to pay $US1m if he spread the claims elsewhere.

Separate to the New York court proceedings, Mr Howard said publicly that his reporters were unable to confirm the claims and that “Dino Sajudin is one fish that swam away.”

THE PLAYBOY MODEL’S MAGAZINE DEAL

In June 2016, Mr Howard was contacted by Ms McDougal’s lawyer Keith Davidson, according to a statement of facts agreed by AMI in its non-prosecution deal with the DOJ.

Mr Davidson offered to sell the National Enquirer the story of her alleged 10-month sexual relationship with Mr Trump that began in 2006, while his new wife Melania was raising their infant son Barron.

Mr Howard and Mr Pecker contacted Mr Cohen, who urged them to strike a deal and suggested he would pay them back, AMI later acknowledged in the non-prosecution deal.

So Mr Howard interviewed the former Playboy model and then signed a contract – including the rights to report on her relationship “with any then-married man” – for $US150,000.

Playboy model Karen McDougal, who says she had a months-long affair with Donald Trump a decade before his election as president. Picture: AFP/ Getty

It was, as AMI later admitted to the DOJ, “substantially more than AMI otherwise would have paid to acquire the story”, but the “principal purpose” of the deal was to suppress Ms McDougal’s allegation “to prevent it from influencing the election”.

The plan for Mr Cohen to reimburse AMI fell through, and Mr Howard told the FEC that the company “exercised its editorial discretion not to publish Ms McDougal’s detailed personal story”.

THE PORN STAR’S HUSH MONEY PAYMENT

A month before the election, Mr Trump’s campaign was rocked by leaked audio of him bragging about groping women and saying: “When you’re a star, they let you do it.”

The next day, an agent for Ms Daniels told Mr Howard the porn star was willing to speak about her allegation that she slept with Mr Trump at a golf event in 2006.

Stormy Daniels received a City Proclamation and Key to The City of West Hollywood in 2018. Picture: Getty

AMI decided against paying for Ms Daniels’s story and Mr Howard instead contacted Mr Cohen, setting off a flurry of calls and messages – detailed in an FBI filing in a federal prosecution of Mr Cohen – that included Mr Trump himself. The journalist put the fixer in touch with Mr Davidson, who was also representing Ms Daniels, with Mr Cohen transferring $US130,000 in the days before the election.

THE FALLOUT – AND WHAT HAPPENS NOW

Mr Trump was charged a year ago by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He pleaded not guilty, and has always denied having affairs with both women.

The 34-count indictment was given the green light by a grand jury that heard testimony from witnesses including Mr Howard, Mr Pecker and Mr Cohen, according to media reports.

Mr Cohen, the former president’s fixer, was in 2018 sentenced to three years in jail for crimes including campaign finance violations over the deal with Ms Daniels.

While the DOJ agreed not to prosecute AMI, the company was fined $US187,500 by the FEC in 2021 for “knowingly and wilfully” violating election laws by making a “prohibited corporate in-kind contribution” to Mr Trump’s campaign with its cover-up of Ms McDougal’s story.

Mr Howard’s lawyer maintained his client played a “limited role” in the saga.

“Mr Howard has not been accused of violating any law and he was merely a witness in those cases,” Mr Harris said.

Originally published as Dylan Howard’s alleged role in Donald Trump hush money deal