(CNN) David Pecker, the head of the company that publishes the National Enquirer, was granted immunity in the federal investigation into President Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen in exchange for providing information on hush money deals, according to the Wall Street Journal. Pecker, the CEO of American Media Inc., told federal prosecutors that Trump had knowledge of Cohen's payments to women who had alleged sexual encounters with him, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Pecker also provided investigators with details about payments Cohen made to the women, the sources said. Cohen pleaded guilty Tuesday to eight criminal counts, including tax fraud, false statements to a bank and campaign finance violations. In court Tuesday, Cohen said, "I and the CEO of a media company, at the request of the candidate, worked together" to squelch stories, effectively implicating Trump himself.

Source: CNN August 23, 2018 18:07 UTC