Steinglass displayed for the jury an invoice dated Aug. 6, 2016 that listed Pecker’s AMI as the subsidiary and McDougal’s lawyer, Keith Davidson, as the vendor. Pecker said the deal was fashioned like a professional contract with McDougal. In it, the rights to McDougal’s story were assigned to Cohen’s shell company for $125,000.

Pecker voiced worries about the arrangement.

“Why worry? I’m your friend. The boss will take care of it,” the witness quoted Cohen telling him.

Pecker said his fears grew deeper in 2018 when he got a letter from the Federal Election Commission asking about AMI. Cohen again tried to assuage his concerns, with Pecker acknowledging in court, “We committed a campaign violation.”

“Jeff Sessions is the attorney general and Donald Trump has him in his pocket,” Pecker quoted Cohen telling him.

Pecker said though the payback deal was signed, it was never executed. After speaking with AMI’s general counsel, the publisher decided it was legally too risky and Pecker would, instead, eat the debt.

“He was very angry … screaming basically,” Pecker recalled Cohen’s reaction in October 2016, quoting the fixer telling him, “The boss is going to be very angry at you.”

But Pecker said he didn’t budge, nor would he comply with Cohen’s wishes to pay off a second woman who came forward after McDougal — Daniels — as he was afraid the association with her would hurt his media brand.

“I am not a bank,” Pecker recalled telling Cohen, who said Trump would be furious.

Taking Pecker’s advice, Cohen ultimately paid Daniels $130,000, and when he hadn’t been reimbursed by his boss months later, Pecker put in a good word for him at Trump’s office at Trump Tower.

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