This is an archive article published on April 5, 2023

Who is Karen McDougal, the Playboy model in the Trump case?

Karen McDougal has said she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007. Trump has denied having a sexual relationship with her.

A 52-year-old former model and actress from Indiana, McDougal was a Playboy magazine Playmate of the Year in the late 1990s.(Photo: Twitter)

By: Reuters

3 min readNew DelhiApr 5, 2023 10:26 AM IST First published on: Apr 5, 2023 at 10:26 AM IST

The criminal case against former President Donald Trump, unveiled on Tuesday, rests not just on his high-profile alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels but also on a separate liaison with Playboy model Karen McDougal.

A 52-year-old former model and actress from Indiana, McDougal was a Playboy magazine Playmate of the Year in the late 1990s.

She has said she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007. Trump has denied having a sexual relationship with her.

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American Media Inc (AMI), corporate parent of the National Enquirer, has acknowledged paying McDougal $150,000 for the rights to her story to prevent her from going public with it ahead of the 2016 presidential election – a practice known in the publishing industry as “catch and kill.”