National Enquirer made up the story about Ted Cruz's father and Lee Harvey Oswald, former publisher says

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

April 23, 2024, 2:48 PM EDT


David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, testified at Donald Trump's trial Tuesday that the tabloid completely manufactured a negative story in 2016 about the father of Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, who was then Trump's rival for the GOP presidential nomination.

The paper had published a photo allegedly showing Cruz's father, Rafael Cruz, with Lee Harvey Oswald handing out pro-Fidel Castro pamphlets in New Orleans in 1963, not long before Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Trump repeatedly referred to the story on the campaign trail and in interviews. “I mean, what was he doing — what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the death? Before the shooting?” Trump said in an interview with Fox News in May 2016. “It’s horrible.”

Manhattan prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Pecker about the story's origins during the trial Tuesday in Manhattan. Pecker said that then-National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard and the tabloid's research department got involved, and Pecker indicated that they faked the photo that was the foundation for the story. “We mashed the photos and the different picture with Lee Harvey Oswald. And mashed the two together. And that’s how that story was prepared — created I would say," Pecker said on the witness stand.

Asked by Steinglass whether Cruz had gained popularity in the presidential race at the time, Pecker said, “I believe so.” The revelation came up as the prosecution focused on negative articles that were published by the tabloid about Trump's Republican opponents at the time. Pecker explained that it was Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, who would orchestrate the planting of these stories. Pecker said Cohen would call and say they'd like his publication to run an article on a certain candidate, adding that Cohen would then send him a piece about Cruz, for example, and the National Enquirer "would embellish it from there."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/national-enquirer-ted-cruz-father-rafael-lee-harvey-oswald-rcna149027

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Katie Phang was discussing (was mentioned on Nicole earlier).

[agingdem]

1. and what about trashing Ted's wife?...

Fealty to Trump requires no balls and blind obedience to a delusional filthy lunatic...

on the other hand...it is the loathsome Ted Cruz

[apnu]

29. That was just Trump.

He also got into an argument with Rubio over penis size during one of their debates.

Cruz is loathsome on his own, he doesn’t need a gross tabloid making up stuff about him or going after his wife to take him down… unless he’s in competition with someone equally loathsome like Trump.

[captain queeg]

2. It's really too bad a video camera wasn't focused on trump during the testimony.

Wonder what the sketch artist will capture?

[Lovie777]

3. That's not news....................

those types of papers have in most part consist of conspiracies bullshit and lies, misinformation and lies.

[MadameButterfly]

8. Not everyone knows this, especially the people who believe Qanon, etc.

And Trump got elected parroting their stories. I think putting this in stark relief and making it cleat that it wasn't a tabloid as usual but Trump behind the stories should be an eye-opener.

Unfortunately the undecideds who apparently don't pay attention to anything won't hear about this.
Maybe there are some Cruz supporters who'll get mad?

[Mr.Bill]

12. I also remember at the time

if you pointed out the National Enquirer was full of shit, people would answer they were correct about John Edwards. So they did have a thread of credibility for that. Enough to make many believe them, apparently.

[TheRickles]

14. They were also correct about Tommie Lee Jones in "Men in Black". So there's that.

[Mr.Bill]

16. I never heard of that one.

But they were also very quick to pretty much pronounce OJ guilty, too.

[TheRickles]

18. It was part of the MIB movie's story line, when Tommie Lee Jones retired from his undercover MIB work.

The National Enquirer carried his cover story - that he was in a coma for 35 years, and had just now recovered and could return to his wife and his previous life. Jones and Will Smith also got a lot of UFO tips from the Enquirer.

Scroll down to the picture of the Nat Enq's headline (the article isn't worth reading):
https://gemofamara.substack.com/p/does-men-in-black-work-in-2019

[Mr.Bill]

17. This all fits so well with the fact that

Trump is a serial projectionist. Talk about Fake News? Ha!

[apnu]

30. Its not news, but court cases are not about generating news

This stuff establishes a pattern of catch and kill for the intent to manipulate the election, which is illegal.

So they have to show that evidence and hope the whole jury believes it.

Its not news, its more like a season recap before a new episode on TV.

[robbob]

32. What you say about bullshit, conspiracy theories and lies is true,

but what IS news (or new information at least) is the notion of such a tabloid acting at the behest of a political candidate to swing an election for the highest office in the land.

[elleng]

4. GEEZE what sleaze!

I often hide their covers from public view @ grocery, so henceforth I won't be selective, I'll do it EVERY time!

[Prairie Gates]

5. And Ted Cruz will still kiss Trump's ass

I mean, Trump called the man's wife ugly, for goodness sake. Cruz is a fucking coward.

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

6. Need a lawyer's take: Can Cruz sue Pecker or the Enquirer for defamation?

Not that Cruz would do it, I just wonder about the possibility. Would it it fly, or would it not fly because of A) Statute of Limitations, B) Some clause in Pecker's immunity deal with the DOJ in the Michael Cohen prosecution, C) because it is considered "political speech" in which lying is permitted, or D) something I haven't thought of?

Any lawyers or recovering lawyers about?

[LeftInTX]

10. He said he's not interested. I think his dad could sue, but not him.

It's probably past the statute of limitations.


Not a lawyer, so wait for an expert..LOL

[heckles65]

7. Thinking like other rich men

"Don't worry - we can control him!" (Sound familiar?)

[Bristlecone]

9. Cohen acting at the behest of TSF.

[Marthe48]

11. It's national enquirer after all

I didn't ever believe they used real paper and ink :/

[Kennah]

13. I'm shocked. Shocked.

[oasis]

15. A Cruz win would've been a two

term disaster for America.

[Mawspam2]

19. But EVERY story about BatBoy was totally real!!!

National Enquirer made up the story about Ted Cruz's father and Lee Harvey Oswald, former publisher says.

[LeftInTX]

20. Bat Boy was from Weekly World News ( Trump probably had them in his pocket too)

[hadEnuf]

21. So it's obvious that PeckerHead and his Enquirer (bird cage liner, I know) was in the bag for Trump

but shouldn't that open people's eyes further to these other "news" sources that were right along with the Enquirer in being Trump's personal propaganda service as well?

Even those who have the political attention span of a gnat should be saying WTH....

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

22. I thought Ted Cruz was the Zodiac Killer

It's so hard to keep them all straight!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

23. Sad that anyone would think the National Enquirer reports facts

But that's where we are today.

[William Gustafson]

24. I am still waiting on where the hell is ....

https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.Kl-YvHpr9yWXZpLv14qkqAAAAA&w=155&h=200&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&o=6&pid=3.1&rm=2

[mwb970]

25. So Fox "News" lies and the Enquirer lies.

Didn't we already know this?

[Lonestarblue]

26. We do, but many Republicans and especially the MAGA cult do not. They're gullible Trump believers.

The fact that a majority of Republicans still believe that Trump won in 2020 in spite of no evidence of significant voting fraud says a lot about the media they choose to believe.

[Novara]

27. sounds like a pretty damn good defamation case to me

[Vinca]

28. When asked about all of this yesterday, what was Ted's reply? "Water under the bridge."

Not one lousy vertebra in the whole GOP.

[James48]

31. But Ted Cruz was born in CANADA.

Not a natural born USA citizen.