Publisher says he pledged to be Trump campaign’s ‘eyes and ears’ in 2016 race

Former US president Donald Trump returns to the courtroom after a recess in Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

A veteran tabloid publisher told a court in New York on Tuesday that he pledged to be Donald Trump’s “eyes and ears” during his 2016 presidential campaign.

David Pecker recounted how he promised the then-candidate that he would help suppress stories that had the potential to harm the Republican’s election bid.