By Francesca Gillette BBC News
image provided, Getty Images
Karen McDougall (photographed in 2010)
Former President Donald Trump’s trial in New York state is focused on paying “hush money” to former porn star Stormy Daniels. But prosecutors also mentioned another woman in court documents revealed on Thursday.
The money was paid to “Woman 1” by Trump’s representatives, according to documents explaining the background to the indictment. Evidence suggests the woman is Karen McDougal.
McDougall is a former model for Playboy magazine. Like Daniels, she claims she had an affair with Trump. The relationship lasted 10 months.
Trump says he never did.
Here’s what we know about who McDougall is and how she’s involved in this case.
“Playmate of the Year”
Born in Gary, Indiana. She moved to Michigan as a child and had her first modeling career in a swimsuit contest in her twenties.
Then join Playboy. In 1998, she was named ‘Playmate of the Year’ and was second only to Pamela Anderson in the ’90s Playmate’ poll.
In addition, she is also active as a fitness model. In 1999, she became the first woman to appear on the cover of Men’s Fitness magazine.
I also did some acting work in TV commercials and small roles. She made an unnamed cameo in the movie Charlie’s Angels (2000).
image provided, Getty Images
Karen McDougall poses alongside Hugh Hefner of “Playboy” at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, 1998.
The magazine “New Yorker” in 2006citing McDougall’s account, reported that he met Trump at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles while he was taping for the TV show “The Apprentice.”
McDougall later recalled that Trump, who was married at the time, “quickly took a liking to me and kept talking to me and talking about how beautiful I was and things like that.”
McDougall claims they saw each other “at least five times a month” during the ten months they were dating.For CNN coveragedescribed it as a relationship of love and consent.
claimed to have been silenced
In 2016, with the presidential election looming, Mr. McDougal signed an exclusive interview deal with the tabloid National Enquirer for $150,000.
The contract prohibited her from speaking publicly about her alleged adulterous relationship.
The article was never published. McDougall claims he was tricked into silence.
The act of paying to monopolize testimony on a topic and then bury it is called “catch and kill.” The National Enquirer is believed to have done this to stifle Trump’s notorious articles.
In 2021, the Federal Election Commission found the publisher of the National Enquirer violating election laws by buying the rights to an article about McDougal and not publishing it.
The commission determined that the money paid to McDougall during the 2016 presidential election amounted to illegal campaign contributions. He fined the National Enquirer $187,500.
Apology to Trump’s wife
Mr. McDougall’saccording to the websiteshe now works as a model, columnist, activist and campaign model.
In 2018, McDougall publicly apologized to Trump’s wife, Melania, for the alleged affair. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t want that to happen to me,” she said.
“Looking back, I know it was a mistake,” he said. “I’m really sorry. I know it was a mistake.”
Trump has consistently denied having an affair with McDougall.
The indictment against Trump is only for paying hush money to Daniels.
Further details about Mr. McDougall are included in a factual statement issued by the district attorney as background information on the case.