‘This was a crisis’: Hicks describes fallout of Access Hollywood tapeHugo LowellProsecutors elicited from Hope Hicks just how bad the Trump 2016 campaign viewed the Access Hollywood tape, as they tee up their case that after that story broke, the campaign needed to suppress any further negative stories about Trump and women.“It was a damaging development,” Hicks said.
This was a crisis.
Asked whether Hicks considered if it would be bad with female voters, she replied: In that moment, no. But maybe a couple of hours later, or the next day.ShareUpdated at 18.25 CESTKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureWhile Hope Hicks cut a nervous figure as she took the witness stand Friday, the former top Trump aide seemed to appreciate the absurdity of this situation.The prosecutor asked Hicks about text messages she exchanged with Michael Cohen after the Wall Street Journal published an article describing how AMI bought stories about Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, and then opted out of publishing them; this report ran on 4 November 2016.When she read Cohen’s missive about the article, where he called it “poorly written and I dot see it getting much play,” Hicks chuckled. “A little irony there,” she said, again laughing softly. “ I said I agree with that.”ShareHicks: Trump was worried about WSJ article’s impact on MelaniaHope Hicks testified that Donald Trump was worried about the Wall Street Journal article that dealt with AMI’s purchase of stories about Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, and the decision not to publish them.She said that Trump was concerned about the article being published — including how it would affect his wife, Melania.Trump “was concerned by how it would be viewed by his wife” and wanted Hicks to make sure that the newspapers would not be delivered to their residence that morning, she said.ShareUpdated at 20.57 CESTHicks tells court she was in contact with Cohen over WSJ storyHope Hicks testifies that she was in contact with Michael Cohen after the Wall Street Journal story was published.The jury is shown a series of text messages between Hicks and Cohen discussing the aftermath of the WSJ article, including one in which Cohen says “no one believes it and if necessary, I have a statement by Storm[y Daniels] denying everything and contradicting the other porn stars statement,” adding:
I wouldn’t use it now or even discuss with him as no one is talking about this or cares!
“Agree,” Hicks replied.ShareUpdated at 20.55 CESTHope Hicks is then asked about her response to the story about the American Media deal with Stormy Daniels, in which she said at the time that it was “absolutely, unequivocally untrue” that Daniels had a relationship with Donald Trump.Hicks testifies that what she told the Wall Street Journal “was what was told to me”.ShareHope Hicks is being asked about her response to the Wall Street Journal story about the American Media deal with the former Playboy model Karen McDougal.Hicks’ response to the WSJ story, printed in the article, was that “we have no knowledge of this” and that McDougal’s claim of affair with Donald Trump was “totally untrue”.Hicks testifies that she cannot definitively remember whether Trump told her to say that “we have no knowledge of this” in response to the WSJ request for comment.ShareBefore lunch, Hope Hicks had said that she thought she’d spoken with Donald Trump after receiving the inquiry from the Wall Street Journal, but it was a “very fuzzy,” recollection.She’d said of Trump’s response:
He wanted to know the context and he wanted to make sure there was a denial of any kind of relationship.
She expressed confusion as to why he wanted to do that.
I felt the point of the story that National Enquirer paid a woman for her story and never published it.
ShareCourt is in session and prosecutor Matthew Colangelo is back at the lectern.They’re once again talking about the early November 2016 email she received from a Wall Street Journal reporter who was working on a story about American Media Inc.’s purchase of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels’ stories despite their not publishing these accounts.ShareUpdated at 20.22 CESTAnd we’re almost back. Donald Trump has walked into court folowing the lunch break. He’s chatting with one of his attorneys, Emil Bove. Trump’s hair doesn’t much move when he’s speaking.Hope Hicks has walked into the courtroom and returned to her seat at the stand. A court officer placed a cup of water in front of her. She just took a sip.ShareThe court resumes after a lunch break.Hope Hicks, Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign press secretary, is back on the stand.ShareUpdated at 20.17 CESTDonald Trump took to Truth Social during lunch break to fire off another fiery tweet about the trial.Writing in all caps, Trump, who has had multiple gag orders issued to him by judge Juan Merchan, said:
“THIS ISN’T A TRIAL, IT’S A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN, A WITCH HUNT, JUST LIKE THE HIGHLY CONFLICTED AND BIASED JUDGE, JUAN MERCHAN, WANTED IT TO BE.
I’M SURE HIS POLITICAL FRIENDS AND ALLIES, AND CROOKED JOE BIDEN, IN PARTICULAR, WILL BE THRILLED THAT THEY ARE GETTING AWAY WITH THIS CORRUPT, “ANCIENT,” AND HIGHLY POLITICAL ATTACK ON HIS 2024 PRESIDENTIAL OPPONENT.”
ShareThe day so farMaya YangThe court is now on lunch break. Here is where things stand:
Judge Juan Merchan addressed the court about Donald Trump’s false claim the he was not allowed to testify. Merchan said, “The order prohibiting extra-judicial statements does not prevent you from testifying in any way.”
Prosecutors played a video statement Trump made in response to the Access Hollywood tape. In the video, Trump said he “never said I’m a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that I’m not.” He added: “I’ve said and done things I regret.”
The prosecution also called Hope Hicks as one of its witnesses today. Trump did not smile once during Hicks’ testimony, even when she said in complimentary terms that he was a hard worker and doing lots of things at once.
Hicks said she reported to Trump directly in her role as press secretary during his campaign. Asked how often she would speak to Trump during the campaign, Hicks said she spoke with Trump every day by telephone and in person.
Hicks’ testimony put Trump at the center of news about him – specifically, how he worked actively to control the narrative around him. This speaks to how Trump would have knowledge of any hush money plot that involved a media strategy.
Hicks said Donald Trump was upset after the Access Hollywood tape was released. Hicks said she was “a little stunned” herself. “It was definitely concerning,” she said.
Prosecutors elicited from Hicks just how bad the Trump 2016 campaign viewed the Access Hollywood tape, as they tee up their case that after that story broke, the campaign needed to suppress any further negative stories about Trump and women. “It was a damaging development,” Hicks said, adding, “This was a crisis.”
Hicks testified that the first time she heard of the former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, was when she received an email from the Wall Street Journal in 4 November 2016 seeking comment for a story. She said she received the email on Trump’s plane as they were landing in Ohio for a campaign rally.
Hicks also testified that she reached out to Michael Cohen and National Enquirer publisher David Pecker after receiving the WSJ email requesting comment about a story it planned to publish about American Media buying the rights to a story of Karen McDougal of an affair she had with Donald Trump when he was married to Melania. Hicks said Cohen “feigned that he didn’t know what I was talking about” and that “there was a reason why I called David [Pecker] next.”
ShareUpdated at 19.33 CESTHope Hicks testifies that she reached out to Michael Cohen and National Enquirer publisher David Pecker after receiving the Wall Street Journal email requesting comment about a story it planned to publish about American Media buying the rights to a story of Karen McDougal of an affair she had with Donald Trump when he was married to Melania.Hicks says Cohen “feigned that he didn’t know what I was talking about” and that “there was a reason why I called David [Pecker] next”.She says Pecker explained that McDougal “was paid for magazine articles and fitness columns and that it was all very legitimate and that was what the contract for”.ShareThe prosecution asked Hope Hicks about the days following the Access Hollywood tape’s release.Hicks explained, on direct, that he was asked about the comments a few days later, during the second presidential debate.
He reiterated that this was locked room talk – just talk – words, not actions.
The words-not-actions mantra is incredibly important for prosecutors. If Trump thought his best chances for surviving the Access Hollywood scandal was to claim that it was just talk – and that he wasn’t an actual boor – then he had to cover up allegations of misconduct.And, after the debate, when reports of Trump’s alleged misconduct surface, the campaign was in panic-mode – providing a motive for Cohen’s purchase of Daniels’ story.ShareUpdated at 18.48 CESTHicks: Karen McDougal first mentioned to her after Wall Street Journal email November 2016Hope Hicks testifies that the first time she heard of the former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, was when she received an email from the Wall Street Journal in 4 November 2016 seeking comment for a story.She says she received the email on Trump’s plane as they were landing in Ohio for a campaign rally.Hicks says she first heard of Stormy Daniels a year prior, when Trump’s security staff were discussing a celebrity gold tournament “and her name came up.”ShareUpdated at 18.51 CESTHope Hicks said Donald Trump “definitely” considered Twitter as an important part of his campaign.She testifies that the only people authorized to post on Trump’s Twitter account were Trump and a staffer, who was only allowed to post things that Trump personally approved.ShareHope Hicks says she spoke to Michael Cohen on Saturday 8 October. She says she called Cohen to ask him to “take down a rumor I had heard with a contact” she had in the media.What was that rumor? the prosecution asked. Hicks replied:
That there might be another tape that might be problematic for the campaign.
She explained:
I didn’t want anyone to be blindsided.
She asked Cohen to call this friend of his and ask about the existence of a tape, and then report back as to whether there was a tape and what was on it.
There was no such tape, regardless, but he sort of chased that down for me.
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