Hicks refuses to spill beans on Trump

Former White House communications boss Hope Hicks refused to answer questions at judiciary committee hearing.

Former White House communications director Hope Hicks leaves the house judiciary committee hearing yesterday. Picture: Reuters

US House of Representatives Democrats finally had the chance to question a former member of Donald Trump’s inner circle about the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

They didn’t get much.

Hope Hicks, acting under the direction of the White House, yesterday declined to answer questions in the closed-door hearing about her tenure as the President’s communications director, according to members of the House Judiciary Committee.

“She’s refusing to testify on areas of interest including whether the President and his campaign worked with the Russians and whether he sought to cover that up,” Democrat Eric Swalwell said.

Ms Hicks’s refusal was not a surprise. White House counsel Pat Cipollone wrote to Democrat committee chairman Jerrold Nadler on Wednesday to say that Mr Trump had directed Ms Hicks not to answer questions “relating to the time of her service as a senior adviser to the President”.

Although Ms Hicks is no longer in government, she said she would honour the President’s request, sparking complaints by Democrats on the panel. “The White House has asserted a bizarre idea that anybody who worked for the White House can be prevented from talking to congress on no basis whatsoever,” Californian Democrat Zoe Lofgren said.

Mr Trump went on Twitter to denounce what he called a “rigged House committee”, repeating his charge that he was a victim of partisan investigations. “So sad that the Democrats are putting wonderful Hope Hicks through hell, for 3 years now, after total exoneration by Robert Mueller & the Mueller Report,” he tweeted. “They were unhappy with result so they want a Do Over. Very unfair & costly to her. Will it ever end?”

During his investigation, Mr Mueller questioned Ms Hicks about a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between three top Trump campaign aides and a Kremlin-backed Russian lawyer who had offered to provide derogatory information on Hillary Clinton. When reporters asked about the meeting in July 2017, Mr Trump directed Ms Hicks to help issue a statement that falsely said the attendees primarily discussed a Russian ban on US citizens adopting Russian children.

Democrats asked Ms Hicks about the incident yesterday but she declined to answer. The committee plans to release a transcript. Mr Nadler vowed legal action to compel her testimony. House Democrats have gone to court several times this year, and won at least two rulings in their favour.

Los Angeles Times