Who is Karen McDougal and how is she connected to Donald Trump's hush money case?

A former Playboy model, Karen McDougal has alleged she had a 10-month affair with Donald Trump in 2006, a story that the tabloid National Enquirer allegedly bought as part of a "catch-and-kill" arrangement to protect the then-presidential candidate, according to the publisher's chief executive.

Trump has denied having a sexual relationship with McDougal.

McDougal may testify in Trump's Manhattan hush money trial. The weekslong trial began in mid-April.

The former president has pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels also alleges she had an affair with Trump, a claim he denies.

McDougal discussed her relationship with Trump, who she says she met at a party at the Playboy Mansion years prior, in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper in March 2018.

She said she visited Trump "dozens of times" and he brought her to Trump Tower, with her saying, "We went into the back entrance, and at that point I realized where we were going, and I said, 'Aren't you afraid to bring me here?' He's like, 'They won't say anything.' I'm like, 'OK.' So, we went upstairs and we looked around."

McDougal told Cooper she was in love with Trump and she believed he was in love with her too. However, she also apologized to Melania Trump for the affair during the interview.

AMI pays McDougal as part of 'catch-and-kill' scheme

Executives at the National Enquirer contacted McDougal in June 2016 with an exclusive offer to tell her story, though the paper allegedly never intended to publish it, according to prosecutors. The practice is known in the tabloid industry as "catch-and-kill."

American Media Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, eventually paid McDougal $150,000 and multiple articles published under her byline -- in exchange for her not speaking out about the affair.

AMI made the payment with the understanding that the Trump Organization would reimburse them for the payment, according to prosecutors.

AMI Chief Executive David Pecker testified in court that he thought McDougal's story should be purchased because "it would have been very embarrassing to [Trump] and also to his campaign."

"To purchase the lifetime rights to Karen McDougal was going to cost $150,000. Plus, Karen wanted to restart her career. She wanted to write for the celebrity magazines. She wanted to be on the cover of the life and fitness titles. She had a major problem when her breast implants were removed and she wanted to write about that," Pecker said in court.

Pecker testified that Cohen told him to buy the story from McDougal and that "the boss" -- who Pecker said he believed to be Trump -- would reimburse him.

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Pecker testified on the stand that there were provisions in the contract to conceal its true nature.

American Media Inc.'s contract with McDougal awarded AMI the rights for her story of a relationship with a "then-married man" -- a reference to Trump, Pecker testified.

Pecker calls off deal with Cohen

In September 2016, two months before the election, Pecker agreed to transfer the rights of McDougal's story to Cohen's shell company for $125,000, but the deal was canceled at the last minute, according to prosecutors.

Pecker said on the stand he reneged after consulting with his general counsel. Pecker said he called Cohen to tell him, "I'm not going forward, it's a bad idea, and I want you to rip up the agreement."

"[Cohen] was very angry, very upset, basically screaming at me," Pecker said during testimony, further relaying that Cohen responded, "The boss is going to be very angry at you."

Pecker testified that he had amended the contract in the months after Trump won the presidential election to control a story published by The Wall Street Journal about the hush money payment.

Pecker also testified about a March 2018 phone call with White House officials Hope Hicks and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, both of whom encouraged him to extend AMI's contract with McDougal.

He testified that Trump got very aggravated when when suggesting extending her contract after she had done an interview with CNN host Anderson Cooper.

AMI eventually released McDougal from her contract after she sued the company for rights to her story about Trump.

Pecker testified to making repeated efforts to be reimbursed by Trump or Cohen for the deal with McDougal, which he says never happened.

Cohen pleaded guilty to skirting campaign rules when he made payments to McDougal and Stormy Daniels. He was sentenced to three years in prison and served a little over one year in federal custody and the rest under house arrest.