As a legal matter, it's relevant that ------ and his former publication were focused on Trump's electoral needs - as opposed to Trump's family and/or personal reputation - when it worked with Michael Cohen, the candidate's then-fixer, on the Enquirer's campaign-season efforts.

"The CEO of the National Enquirer is an individual named David ------," Cruz said at a [2016] campaign event. "Well, David is good friends with Donald Trump. In fact, the National Enquirer has endorsed Donald Trump, has said he must be president." The senator lamented that his young daughters would someday "read these lies, these attacks that Donald and his henchmen, that his buddies at the National Enquirer spread" about their father.

After the tabloid went after Cruz's father, and Trump seized on the story, the senator also told reporters that the future president was a "pathological liar," adding in reference to Trump, "He doesn't know the difference between truth and lies. He lies practically every word that comes out of his mouth."