Hope Hicks is the first former Trump confidante to testify in his historic criminal trial. In this case, the ex-president is accused of falsifying accounting and illegally concealing payments to a pornographic actress so that she would not publicize her claims about a possible affair with him in the final weeks of the 2016 election campaign and cause another scandal.
“I was a little bit taken aback,” Hicks said of the infamous Access Hollywood recording in which Trump is heard bragging about grabbing women’s crotch.
“We all agreed that this post was harmful, [kad] it’s a crisis,” Hicks added.
She was subpoenaed by prosecutors who say the panic caused by the tape led to the Trump campaign’s attempts to silence adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had sex with the married Trump.
In the New York court, D. Trump is accused of compensating his then lawyer Michael Cohen for 130 thousand. dollars (110.8 thousand euros) payment to S. Daniels just before the 2016 election, in which D. Trump competed with Hillary Clinton.
The trial and its revelations have caught the attention of lawyers and politicians as Trump seeks to return to the White House in the November election.
Hicks admitted she was nervous as she began her testimony, then broke down in tears during cross-examination by Trump’s lawyer, Emil Bove, prompting the judge to adjourn.
Hicks was a key player in the final stages of Trump’s successful 2016 campaign, when Daniels was allegedly paid to keep quiet.
A close assistant
Hicks, who was 26 at the time, joined Mr. Trump’s campaign in 2015 – she came from his daughter Ivanka’s clothing business and became one of his most important aides.
Trump later dumped the former model after her criticism of the ex-president’s behavior when his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 to overturn his election loss.
However, she reportedly continues to have a warm relationship with the Trump family.
Hicks also told jurors Friday about Trump’s reaction to a Wall Street Journal article alleging he had an affair with former Playboy model Karen McDougal and paid her, similar to Ms. Daniels.
“HE was worried about how his wife, Melania, would look at it,” Hicks said.
Trump declined to answer reporters’ questions about Hicks during a court break.
Judge Juan Merchan (Juan Mercan) heard the arguments of both the prosecutors and the defenders on Friday.
On Monday, the judge awarded the former US president 9,000. dollars (approximately 8.4 thousand euros) fine for multiple violations of a confidentiality order: for violating his order not to publicly attack witnesses, jurors, court employees and their relatives.
Mr. Merchan began Friday’s hearing in an unusual way by directly addressing Mr. Trump, who said he would not be able to testify freely because of the judge’s order to remain silent.
Mr. Merchan emphasized that Mr. Trump has an “absolute right to testify” in court and that the gag order “only applies to statements outside of court.”
Trump replied: “Thank you.”
In addition to the New York case, Trump is accused in Washington and Georgia of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and in Florida of mishandling classified documents after his term in the White House.
