Defense attorney Emil Bove sought to distance former President Trump from the National Enquirer's purchase of negative stories about him and instead suggested David Pecker and Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen may have been freelancing.

Bove asked Pecker about a meeting at Trump Tower in August 2015 where Pecker previously testified he agreed to be the "eyes and ears" of the Trump campaign.

"At that meeting, the concept of catch and kill was not discussed, correct?" Bove asked.

"That's correct," Pecker answered.

The defense also sought to reframe the Enquirer's $30,000 purchase of Trump World Tower doorman Dino Sajudin's false claim that Trump fathered a love child.

Bove suggested Enquirer parent AMI purchased the story not to help the Trump campaign, but because it was an irresistible tabloid scoop.

"Sajudin threatened to go somewhere else?" Bove asked. "Yes," Pecker responded.

"That is why you paid him $30,000?" Bove asked. "It would be too great a loss to AMI to lose the story, if true?"

"Yes," Pecker answered.

"You could not walk away from that possibility?" asked Bove.

"Yes," replied Pecker.

Trump attorney Emil Bove, continuing his cross-examination of former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, returned to a theme he emphasized yesterday: that the National Enquirer's supportive arrangement with Trump was not unique, but rather "standard operating procedure."

Bove is seeking to establish that negative stories about Donald Trump's political opponents in the National Enquirer largely involved "information that was already in the public domain" -- recycled narratives and reporting found in other outlets.

"There wasn't much new content in those stories, was there?" Bove asked Pecker.

"Yes," Pecker said.

"It was a business decision that it was good for the National Enquirer to run those stories," Bove said, adding that, as a business model, it was "quick, efficient, and cost-effective" -- to which Pecker agreed.

Bove cited stories about Bill and Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Ben Carson as examples.

"Good morning, everyone," Judge Juan Merchan said at the start of the proceedings. "Good morning, Mr. Trump."

Trump did not audibly respond. The former president is sitting slightly slouched at the defense table between defense lawyers Emil Bove and Todd Blanche.

Merchan announced that the contempt hearing originally scheduled for next Wednesday -- related to the four new violations of the limited gag order alleged by prosecutors -- has been moved to Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Defense attorney Emil Bove has resumed his cross-examination of former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.

Before entering the courtroom for today's proceedings, former President Donald Trump spoke to reporters, repeating his claims that Judge Juan Merchan is a "highly conflicted judge" overseeing a "rigged trial."

Trump also expressed his annoyance about the ongoing cold conditions in the courtroom, on a day where it's a brisk 50 degrees in lower Manhattan.

"So we have another day of court in a freezing courthouse, it's very cold in there," he said. "On purpose, I believe. They don't seem to be able to get the temperature up. It shouldn't be that complicated. But we have a freezing courthouse, and that's fine."

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh and Mike Pappano

As the prospective alternates continue to answer the questionnaire questions one by one, some jurors have revealed loose connections to Trump and others surrounding the case.

A young woman who works in financial services said that her father is a "lifelong friend" of Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who then ran Trump's 2016 transition team before becoming a critic of the former president.

The mention of Christie's name drew a rare laugh from Trump.

The woman also revealed a loose connection to Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen.

A man who lives in Midtown and said he uses his spare time to "try to find a wife" said he has multiple family members who work for the New York State Court -- and is related to a court officer who's currently present in the courtroom. Trump attorney Todd Blanche let out a laugh.

The man said it wouldn't affect his ability to be fair and impartial.

One woman stood up and tearfully explained she served time in Massachusetts over 10 years ago. Trump appeared to crane his neck and turn all the way to look at her, before Judge Merchan called her to the bench for a sidebar.

"I apologize for crying," the woman said as she continued with her questionnaire.

Trump has been sitting at the defense table flipping through papers that contain either charts, photos or graphics.