Hope Hicks, a former Communications Director at the White House, expressed concerns during her testimony on Friday regarding the 2016 presidential campaign of former President Donald Trump.
She disclosed that there was significant apprehension surrounding the potential fallout from the “Access Hollywood” tape featuring Trump and adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Hicks, testifying in a hush money trial in Manhattan, revealed that the leak of this tape had a profound impact on Trump’s campaign, causing turmoil among his advisors.
The tape, released in October 2016 just weeks before the election, captured Trump making lewd comments about women without their consent. Additionally, it was revealed that Trump had allegedly paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels through his attorney, Michael Cohen, to keep her from publicizing her claims of a sexual encounter with him.
Hicks described her reaction to learning about the tape’s existence and immediately recommended a strategy of denial when approached by a reporter from The Washington Post. She emphasized the significance of the tape as a damaging development that set the campaign back and created obstacles that were difficult to overcome.
Prosecutors called Hicks to testify in their case alleging that Trump orchestrated efforts to suppress damaging stories about his personal life in an attempt to influence the 2016 election illegally. Hicks’ testimony aimed to underscore the gravity of the situation and the extent of Trump’s involvement in managing potential scandals during his campaign.
During her testimony, Hicks stated that Trump initially denied knowledge of the payment to Daniels but later acknowledged the prudence of burying her story before the election. She noted that Trump was primarily concerned with how these issues would affect the campaign, frequently seeking feedback on his public appearances and policies to gauge their impact on voters.