Minutes: Hope Hicks, President Trump’s favorite staffer, takes the stand
Hope Hicks spent more time with the former president donald trump Perhaps more than anyone else, from the start of his political career to the end of his tenure in the White House.
On Friday, Hicks took the stand to testify against her former boss.
Hicks, a former campaign and White House press secretary who was always by Trump’s side and one of his most trusted advisers until he left office, appeared in court after receiving a subpoena but was forced to testify. He was clearly dissatisfied with that. After she was asked to speak more clearly into the microphone, she said she was “really nervous” to be there. Later, as Trump’s lawyers began cross-examining her, Ms. Hicks began to cry. Judge Juan Melchan I gave her time off so she could calm down. She was seen clutching a tissue.
Hicks told prosecutors that President Trump told her about the adult film star in 2018. stormy danielsHis fixer and lawyer’s affair scandal became public michael coen He paid to keep the story quiet “out of the kindness of his own heart” and did not tell anyone what happened.she Said She didn’t believe his story. That was “un-Michael-like” because she knew him as “not a particularly philanthropic or selfless person” but “the kind of person who wanted credit.” The testimony undermines any chance that President Trump will distance himself from paying hush money to Cohen. To reimburse Cohen for the payment, prosecutors will need to prove that Trump falsified his business records.
At the end of the prosecutor’s questioning, Mr. Hicks said: Said They argued that President Trump’s behavior in 2018, when the Daniels news broke, “would have been better addressed now, and it would not have been good for the story to come out before the election.” This will help prosecutors trying to prove that President Trump conspired to cover up accusations of marital infidelity to win the election. This underlying crime is the basis for raising the charge of falsifying business records against President Trump to a felony.
She also testified about the panic that began within the campaign in early October 2016 when an Access Hollywood recording of President Trump bragging about groping women was leaked. “It was a detrimental development,” she said. “This was a crisis.”
But then she overturned the prosecution’s theory of the case, saying testimony from a former boss that while Mr. Trump appears to be a huge asshole, it could actually help him avoid a conviction. helped. Mr. Trump’s lawyers have argued that Mr. Trump was simply worried about what his wife, Melania, would think about his extramarital affair, and Mr. Hicks gave them important ammunition on this point. That’s what it means.
Hicks testified on the day the Wall Street Journal was scheduled to publish a story the National Enquirer had bought and covered up about the former Playboy model. Karen McDougallHe claimed that he had been having a long-term affair with President Trump, but he tried not to break the news to first lady Melania Trump, fearing how she would react. “He asked me to check if the newspaper was correct. [not] It was delivered to my home that morning,” Hicks said.
Melania Trump, who did not attend any of her husband’s criminal trials, was pregnant and gave birth to a son, Barron, during the time McDougal claims they had an affair. Trump’s son Eric was the only person in Trump’s immediate family to appear in court with the former president.
Trump lawyer during cross-examination Emile Bovet Hicks acted kindly, not wanting to hurt his boss. Mr. Bove got Mr. Hicks to agree with his own statement that Mr. Cohen sometimes “moves into misconduct” without discussing it with his campaign.
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On Friday morning, before the jury was assembled, Marchan falsely claimed that the judge’s gag order against Trump, which Trump had made outside court yesterday, prevented the former president from testifying at trial. (which only prevents Trump from speaking about witnesses or jurors outside of court). “I realized there might be a misunderstanding.” [about] “The order restricting extrajudicial speech and how it affects Mr. Trump’s right to testify at his trial,” he said. “I want to emphasize, President Trump, that you have an absolute right to testify at trial…The order prohibiting extrajudicial speech does not prevent you from testifying in any way. ”
After the trial day ends, the merchant will If the former president takes the stand, prosecutors will not be allowed to bring up the fact that Marchand insulted him for violating the gag order, which would amount to “prejudice,” the ruling said. Stated.
