Trump accuser and ex Playboy model Karen McDougal shares suggestive hot tub photo as she throw 'brutal shade' at the former president amid his hush money trial

Ex-Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal posted a suggestive bathroom photo to social media and seemed to take a dig at former President Donald Trump. 

McDougal has in the past claimed to have had an affair with Trump although she is not directly related to the charges at his current criminal trial in Manhattan. 

On Saturday, McDougal posted a single word, 'Reflecting,' alongside the photo of herself in the bath with the book 'Catch And Kill' - clearing thinking about what has been taking place at Trump's trial.

The term 'catch and kill' has been used several times during the first two weeks of Trump's hush money trial. It describes a tactic when a tabloid newspaper such as the National Enquirer buys a story containing damaging information about someone and then 'kills' it, ensuring the story will never see the light of day. 

McDougal usually writes about Jesus or sports on her X account and has not posted about Donald Trump for more than a year.

Former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, linked to Donald Trump's hush money cover-up case, posted a reference on social media to the ongoing trial

McDougal says she was paid $150,000 for her allegation of an affair with Trump, which Trump denies 

'Brutal shade. Fantastic book', wrote attorney Howell Ellerman. 

'Karen McDougal weighs in on the Trump trial.' added New York magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, the National Enquirer was paying tens of thousands of dollars for stories about Trump to keep them from the public eye.

McDougal says she was paid $150,000 for her allegation of an affair with Trump, which Trump denies. The Enquirer never published the story.

Earlier in the trial, the former publisher of The Enquirer, David Pecker, described in court how Donald Trump called him in a fury when details of the secret deal with McDougal became public just four days before the 2016 election.

On November 4, 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported that Pecker's company American Media paid McDougal $150,000 but had not published her account.

Trump's 'hush money' trial heard about how Karen McDougal's lawyer negotiated with the National Enquirer editor to buy her story of an alleged affair

Former publisher of The Enquirer, David Pecker testified he had been friends with Trump for decades, and had helped stamp out negative stories during the 2016 election after a key meeting at Trump Tower

At the time, Pecker denied his company was killing negative stories about Trump, but in court, he admitted the statement was false.

'I wanted to protect my company, I wanted to protect myself and I wanted also to protect Donald Trump,' he said.

Pecker described how McDougal wanted $150,000, as well as writing assignments and other business opportunities, for her claims of an affair.

'That suited me because I hadn't really wanted the story to get out,' she said. 'I thought my contract was for work and that it was a win-win situation. I didn't know the term catch-and-kill at that point. I was a pawn in that scenario because of all the stuff I wasn't privy to,' McDougal said recently.

McDougal claims to have had an affair with Trump for 10 months from June 2006 to April 2007, about a year-and-a-half after he married to former first lady Melania Trump.

The former model says she met Trump when Hugh Hefner threw a pool party at the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles. McDougal (bottom center) and other Playboy bunnies pose with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner (top center left) 

Trump looks on as David Pecker gives evidence in his trial

The trial is entering its fourth week in courtroom 1530 of Manhattan criminal court

The former model says she met Trump when he was hosting Celebrity Apprentice and when Hugh Hefner threw a pool party for the show's contestants at the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles. 

McDougal wore a see-through dress over her swimsuit at the party, which caught the future president's eye.  

'He followed me around like a puppy dog, trying to get my attention,' she told DailyMail.com in an interview last year. 'He took to me so much that the Bunny Mother said: "Wow, he really has a thing for you."' 

McDougal recalled that as she was saying goodbye, Trump asked his bodyguard to get her number. 

'He called a few days later and asked me to have dinner with him at the Beverly Hills Hotel,' she said. 'I'm ashamed about it now because I knew he was married but at the time it was out of sight, out of mind. I was a different girl then, having fun and not thinking about things too deeply.'

McDougal said during her consensual affair with Trump she met the real estate developer five or more times a month.

She said her feelings for Trump were real. 

'I was in love with him. He was in love with me. I know that because he told me all the time. He'd say "You're my baby and I love you." He showed me off to his friends,' she said.