A former senior adviser to Donald Trump, Hope Hicks, stated in court on Friday that he advised her to refute claims that he had a romantic relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels during the closing days of the 2016 election.
In the final weeks of his victorious White House campaign, Hicks’ testimony provided jurors with an intimate glimpse into the campaign’s attempts to contain the fallout after Trump was repeatedly accused of inappropriate sexual behavior.
Hicks is the eighth person to testify against the former president in Manhattan. According to 34 criminal charges against him, Trump fabricated company documents in New York to hide materially false information that may have influenced the 2016 presidential election. Trump alleges that the trial is “election interference” since it is interfering with his quest for president in 2024 by requiring him to appear in court every day and preventing him from campaigning during those times.
Who is Hope Hicks?
Since 2014, Hope Hicks has been employed by Trump, having previously worked for the Trump Organization under both the former president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and Trump. As press secretary, Hicks worked in Trump’s inaugural presidential campaign in 2015. She began working for the government as director of strategic communications after Trump was elected, then moved on to become director of communications. In 2018, she left the position.
Hicks later became executive vice president and chief communications officer at Fox Corp., but in 2020, she returned to the White House to work as Trump’s counselor and Ivanka Kushner’s husband’s assistant, Jared Kushner.
In what way is she relevant to the prosecution’s case?
Hicks’s early testimony described her professional and personal relationships with the Trump family. She described, during her testimony, the events leading up to the release of the Access Hollywood tape and the reaction of the campaign to it.
A Wall Street Journal reporter contacted Hope Hicks in response to claims that Trump had an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels and playboy model Karen McDougal. Hicks also mentioned receiving this correspondence. Both claims have been refuted by Trump.
Hicks will probably be questioned about her knowledge of the agreement mediated by Trump, his attorney Michael Cohen, and the National Enquirer’s executives. She could also be questioned by prosecutors on the need of suppressing rumors about Trump’s alleged relationships with McDougal and Daniels. She will probably also be questioned over her stay at the White House.
In response to allegations that he falsified business documents to conceal a $130,000 payment made to Daniels at the time, who was threatening to go public with her account of their 2006 sexual encounter, Trump entered a not guilty plea.
In her testimony, Hope Hicks claimed to have informed Trump four days before to the election on November 8, 2016, that Daniels’ tale would be covered in depth by the Wall Street Journal.
As campaign press secretary, Hicks stated that he wanted to ensure that any form of relationship was denied.
In the first criminal prosecution of a former US president, prosecutors contend that Daniels’ payment to him tainted the election by preventing the dissemination of information that would have impacted voters’ decisions to support Republican Trump or Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
The Left is acting like Hope Hicks testifying in President Trump’s trial is a big deal. But in reality, David Pecker’s testimony stating that Trump had no idea about any payments makes Ms. Hicks’ testimony pretty meaningless. Trump’s case should have been dropped a week ago. pic.twitter.com/NWWG5Wcc0e
— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) May 3, 2024The 34 accusations against Trump are upgraded from misdemeanors to felonies, each carrying a maximum four-year jail sentence, according to the prosecution, who claim that Trump fabricated documents to hide violations of election and tax laws.
During Hicks’ testimony—the first member of Trump’s campaign team to testify as a witness in the 11-day trial—the Republican nominee for president this year, Trump, sat silently at the defendants’ table.
Hicks, who had been employed by Trump’s company, said before the jury that she was taken aback by his 2015 foray into politics and believed he was kidding when he asked her to serve as the campaign’s press secretary.
She remarked, “I wasn’t sure if I should take it seriously.”
According to Hicks, the public release of an audio clip from the TV show “Access Hollywood” featuring Trump bragging about grabbing women’s genitalia rocked the campaign.
While acknowledging that Trump was offended, she downplayed the remarks.
While she testified that Mr. Trump thought this was bad, it was also simply two guys talking, like they were in the locker room.
The Wall Street Journal’s inquiry of whether Trump had an affair with former Playboy model Karen McDougal revealed to jurors that attempts had been made to draft a denial.
In an effort to buy some time for a response, Hope Hicks said she spoke with Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of News Corp., the parent company of the Journal, at the time. She stated that in the end, Trump expressed his want to compose his own statement.
Daniels and Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who set up the payment, are among the key participants in the case that the 12 jurors and 6 alternates have not yet heard from.
As Trump had informed reporters on Thursday, the trial’s judge informed him earlier in the day that he would be able to testify despite being prohibited from discussing the witnesses and jurors by a gag order.
Justice Juan Merchan stated, “I want to emphasize to Mr. Trump: you have an absolute right to testify at trial.”
Trump said that his legal team will attempt to lift the gag order, which prevents him from discussing jurors, witnesses, and the families of judges and prosecutors in public if doing so would prejudice the case.
Trump was fined $9,000 by Merchan on Tuesday for breaking the order, and on Thursday, he gave a hint that more penalties would be imposed for what the prosecution claims are more infractions. According to Merchan, if Trump doesn’t alter his behavior, he may go to jail.
According to Trump, the lawsuit is an effort by Democrats to reduce his prospects of unseating Democratic President Joe Biden in the next presidential election on November 5.
Although there are heinous accusations of adultery and covert payments in this case, it is generally viewed as less significant than the other three criminal cases that Trump is facing and may be the only one to go to trial before the November election.
The others accuse him of attempting to reverse his loss as president in 2020 and of improperly handling secret data after he left office. Trump has also entered not guilty pleas to each of them.
However, according to Reuters/Ipsos polls, a guilty decision may harm Trump’s chances of winning the presidency.
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