SPILLING: Manhattan prosecutors hear from former Trump official Hope Hicks
Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks was interviewed today by prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office that is investigating the hush money payments made by Donald Trump to keep his affair with his porn star mistress Stormy Daniels out of the public eye during the 2016 presidential election.
The New York Times reported that Hicks was seen entering the offices of District Attorney Alvin Bragg early Monday afternoon and that her questioning “represents the latest sign that the prosecutors are in the final stages of their investigation.”
“It could not be immediately determined whether Ms. Hicks,who also served in the White House, was testifying before the grand jury or was only meeting with prosecutors to answer their questions,” according to the newspaper.
Previously, Hope Hicks has testified to Congress that she was never privy to any conversations between Donald Trump and his former attorney Michael Cohen in which they discussed the hush money payments or how they were implemented.
Since the District Attorney’s office decided to reopen the investigation recently after Bragg initially put it on hold over reported fears that a conviction might be difficult, prosecutors have been busy presenting evidence to a grand jury from numerous witnesses, including former White House political advisor Kellyanne Conway just last week.
In addition, the prosecutors have also heard testimony from two former Trump Organization employees, as well as from two executives at The National Enquirer and a former lawyer for Stormy Daniels, all of whom were reportedly involved in helping to broker the hush money payment to the adult film star.
Given Hicks’ previous denial of any knowledge of the machinations behind the payments to Daniels, it’s uncertain what the Manhattan prosecutors hope to gain from her testimony, but it’s possible she’s being questioned to corroborate the testimony of others who may have mentioned her in their own testimony.
Trump, who also faces investigations in Georgia over electoral interference and in Washington DC over both the January 6th insurrection and his refusal to return classified documents to the National Archives, has condemned all of the probes as political witch hunts and says that he still intends to run for president again even if he is indicted.
Let’s hope that the indictments come quickly and we can see if trump proves to be a man of his word for perhaps the first time.
Original reporting by Kate Christobek, Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich and
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