National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc. has a long history of weaponizing “checkbook journalism”—including suppressing negative information about politicians—against high-profile persons, defense counsel for Donald Trump elicited at the former president’s trial on Thursday.

On cross-examination, Trump defense attorney Emil Bove pointed to example after example of quid pro quos or mutually beneficial decisions made during the tenure of David Pecker, who served as CEO of the company from 1999 to 2020.