National Enquirer, David Pecker, Christmas trees and Trump: 5 things to know about tabloid
The ex-CEO of the National Enquirer 's parent company was the first witnesses called in former President Donald Trump's New York trial. Unbeknownst to many, however, is that for many years the scandal-mongering tabloid was based in Lantana.
The operations of the publication, which was founded in New York by a protege of William Randolph Hearst, were relocated to Palm Beach County in 1971 by then-owner Generoso Pope, Jr. In Lantana, the company was best known locally for its sensational stories and the site of the world's largest Christmas tree every holiday season.
Its headquarters then were moved back to New York City in 2014. Here are five things to know about the National Enquirer's time in Lantana and beyond.
The National Enquirer's famous Christmas tree
In 1988, The Palm Beach Post reported that Pope began the tradition for locals and holiday visitors inadvertently. Pope simply wanted to give his employees here a taste of the northern Christmas traditions they had left behind when the publication's headquarters moved here from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. However, those driving by along Dixie Highway noticed the 45-foot tree being transported in and began clogging the roadway for a peek.
The Enquirer's grounds were then opened so people could see it up close, which started the annual tradition. The yearly event drew bigger trees and crowds and a "Spectacle of Lights" display was added. In 1979, The Post reported, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “World’s Largest Decorated Christmas Tree.”
From our archives: How the National Enquirer’s big Christmas tree became a Lantana tradition
The anthrax attack at the National Enquirer headquarters in Boca Raton
In the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, the country was on edge for follow-up terrorist assaults. More and more, intelligence agencies and others warned of the potential for biological or chemical attacks.
Arguably the highest profile one was at the National Enquirer headquarters, by then in Boca Raton. Bob Stevens, a photo editor at an Enquirer sister publication, the Sun, was exposed to deadly anthrax spores while opening a letter that had arrived in the mail. Stevens died and the office complex that was home to the the Enquirer, the Sun and the other publications owned by parent company American Media Inc. was closed for more than two years.
The National Enquirer turns focus to politics
The Enquirer and its brand of sensational journalism entered the political arena in a splashy way with an investigation of John Edwards, a North Carolina political figure. A former U.S. senator, Edwards was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2004 — and harbored 2008 White House aspirations.
The Enquirer reported that Edwards had begun an an affair with Rielle Hunter, an actress and filmmaker hired to document Edwards' expected presidential campaign. Edwards' White House campaign was derailed, and he ultimately admitted to the affair and that he also fathered a child with Hunter.
Edwards was indicted in June 2011 for conspiring "to accept and receive campaign contributions in excess of limits imposed by the Federal Election Act in an effort to protect and advance his candidacy from disclosure of an ongoing extra-marital affair and the resulting pregnancy." A year later, Edwards was acquitted of one of the charges and a mistrial was declared on the others.
Donald Trump lauds the National Enquirer's coverage on John Edwards
In 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump said the National Enquirer should have been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for the Edwards investigation.
That's despite tweeting in April 2012 that the government should not be prosecuting the disgraced politician. On then-Twitter, Trump wrote: "I have never been a fan of John Edwards but it is time for the gov't to focus on more important things."
The Enquirer by 2016 was an enthusiastic supporter of Trump. It published a story suggesting Trump's remaining GOP presidential rival, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, had had an extramarital affair, and another suggesting Cruz's father, Rafael, had been involved in the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy.
Who is David Pecker?
The Enquirer's former leader, David Pecker, is believed to have played a key role in suppressing the story about Trump's alleged affair with the adult film actress Stormy Daniels, which Trump steadfastly denies.
The story is at the heart of the business fraud that prosecutors have charged to cover up the payments to purportedly silence the story in the weeks before the 2016 presidential campaign.
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: David Pecker, National Enquirer, Trump in Florida: 5 things to know
