The former Trump aide described the 2016 campaign’s scramble to prevent any more damaging stories from coming to light
FORMER WHITE HOUSE Communications Director Hope Hicks took the stand in Manhattan court Friday to testify in the criminal trial of her ex-boss, Donald Trump.
On the stand, Hicks recalled that the former president had heaped praise on Pecker after the National Enquirer published a piece accusing former brain surgeon and Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson of leaving a sponge in the brain of a patient. Pecker had previously testified that part of the deal he’d struck with the Trump campaign included boosting damaging stories against his 2016 rivals.
Hicks told the court that Trump had described some of the hit pieces published by the Enquirer as “Pulitzer-worthy,” and were “great investigative pieces.” Pecker previously testified that the Carson medical malpractice stories were given to him by Michael Cohen, or in the case of the story linking Ted Cruz’s father to Lee Harvey Oswald, were fabricated completely.
Hicks testified she forwarded the email to key Trump players, including Kellyanne Conway, Jason Miller, and Steve Bannon. In the email, she wrote: “Need to hear the tape to be sure. Deny, deny, deny.” Immediately after sending the email, Hicks ran up to the 26th floor of Trump Tower where Trump was gathered with the three people above as well as Jared Kushner and Stephen Miller, and spoke with them about the transcript.
“The sight of the six of us gathered out there meant that something was afoot. So Mr. Trump asked us to come into the conference room at some point and share with him what we were discussing,” Hicks testified on Friday. “He said that didn’t sound like something he would say.”
“Mr. Trump said this wasn’t good,” she continued. “It was two guys talking privately, locker room talk. I think he felt like it was pretty standard stuff, for two guys fattening up each other.”
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