A veteran tabloid publisher testified during Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York that he pledged to be Trump's "eyes and ears" and during his 2016 presidential campaign and would bury any unfavorable stories that could jeopardize his chances of being elected.
Testimony from David Pecker indicates he promised the then-candidate that he would "catch and kill" or suppress harmful stories and even arranged to purchase the silence of a doorman.
Prosecutors allege the effort was a way to illegally influence the election.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee in this year's race faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments meant to stifle embarrassing stories from surfacing in the final days of the 2016 campaign.
It's alleged that a $130,000 payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels just prior to the election was part of the scheme. Prosecutors claim that Trump falsified records about the payment to "conceal criminal activity."
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Pecker testified that he volunteered to publish positive stories about Trump and negative stories about his opponents -- but that wasn't all, The Associated Press reported. He would also notify Trump's attorney Michael Cohen if he heard anything negative or "anything about women selling stories" so that the rights could be purchased and the stories would not get published.
As for the doorman, Pecker said he was trying to sell a story in 2015 that Trump fathered an illegitimate child with a maid at Trump Tower. The National bought the story for $30,000 and never published it, he testified.
"I said I'll pay for it, this is a very big story and it should be removed from the market," Pecker said he told Cohen, per CBS News. "He said, 'Thank you,' and, 'The boss will be very pleased.'"
"The boss" being Trump, Pecker explained.
Pecker's testimony is expected to continue Thursday when he returns to the stand after a break in the case on Wednesday. He has been granted immunity in the federal investigation in exchange for his testimony, CNN reported.
Cohen, who served a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to campaign finance charges and lying to Congress, among other crimes, is also expected to take the stand as a "key witness" for the prosecution.
The case is expected to last six to eight weeks.