During his testimony, David Pecker revealed details about a 2003 incident involving Arnold Schwarzenegger that led him to have concerns about the legality of paying to suppress negative stories about a political candidate. Pecker, who was purchasing several fitness magazines at the time, recounted a meeting with Schwarzenegger, who had graced the covers of these magazines numerous times.
Schwarzenegger expressed his desire to become an editor-at-large and informed Pecker of his intention to run for California governor. Schwarzenegger made a request to Pecker not to publish any negative stories about him, to which Pecker agreed. Shortly after this agreement, Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy on Jay Leno's show.
Following the announcement, Pecker received calls from multiple women with stories about Schwarzenegger, including allegations of relationships and sexual harassment. Pecker disclosed that he had an arrangement with Schwarzenegger to inform him of any stories circulating about him and admitted to purchasing some of these stories for a period.
One of the women whose story was acquired by Pecker took it to the Los Angeles Times after it was not published. This incident led to embarrassment for Pecker and his company, prompting a state investigation. As a result, Schwarzenegger had to step down from his role as editor-at-large for the fitness magazines.
Pecker reflected on this experience, stating that it made him hesitant to engage in similar practices of buying stories in the future. The fallout from the Schwarzenegger incident served as a cautionary tale for Pecker and highlighted the ethical and legal complexities surrounding the suppression of negative stories in the media.
