White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump's most loyal aides, is resigning.
The departure of one of the president's longest-serving advisers, who worked as a one-woman communications shop during his winning campaign, came as a surprise to most in the White House — and cast a pall over the West Wing at a tumultuous time.
The news comes a day after Hicks was interviewed for nine hours by the House panel investigating Russia interference in the 2016 election and contact between Trump's campaign and Russia.
In a statement, Trump praised Hicks for her work over the last three years, saying he "will miss having her by my side."
Hicks, who occupied to the desk closest to the Oval Office in the West Wing, has been a central participant in or witness to nearly every milestone and controversy of the Trump campaign and White House. She began her White House tenure as director of strategic communications — a title that only partly captured her more expansive role as the president's gatekeeper to the press.
Hicks acknowledged to a House intelligence panel yesterday that she has occasionally told "white lies" for Trump. But she said she had not lied about anything relevant to the Russia investigation. She has also been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, in his expansive probe of Russian interference of the 2016 election and potential misdeeds committed by those in the president's orbit.
Hicks said in a statement, "There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump." She added she wished Trump and his administration the "very best."
A former Ralph Lauren fashion model and public relations pro who worked for Trump's daughter Ivanka, Hicks, 29, had no political background when Trump asked her to serve on his campaign.
Hicks, who has long tried to avoid media attention, was thrust into the spotlight recently when it was revealed she had been dating former Staff Secretary Rob Porter. He left the administration after accusations that he had abused his two ex-wives became public.
Hicks helped craft the White House's initial supportive response.
The top Democrat on yesterday's intelligence panel, Adam Schiff, said after the meeting was over that Hicks answered questions about her role in Trump's campaign and answered some questions about the transition period between the election and the inauguration. But she would not answer any questions about events since Trump took the oath of office, similar to some other White House officials who have spoken to the committee. Schiff said Hicks did not assert any type of executive privilege, but just said she had been advised not to answer.
Hicks did answer a question about whether she had ever lied for her boss, saying she had told "white lies" for Trump on occasion, according to a person familiar with the testimony. The person, who declined to be named because the committee's interviews are not public, said Hicks told the panel she had not lied about anything substantive.
Tom Rooney, a member of the intelligence panel who was in the interview, said Hicks' answer was completely unrelated to the Russia investigation.
"When specifically asked whether or not she was instructed to lie by the president, or the candidate, with regard to Russia, the investigation or our investigation, the answer to that question was no," Rooney said. "And that's our jurisdiction. Not whether or not he asked her to cancel a meeting for him, or something like that."
While the investigation is focused on Russian interference during the campaign, House investigators also had questions about her time in the White House, including her role in drafting a statement responding to news reports about a 2016 meeting between Trump campaign officials and Russians. That statement has been of particular interest to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating matters related to the Russian meddling and potential obstruction of an ongoing federal inquiry.
The White House has said the president was involved in drafting the statement after news of the meeting broke last summer. The statement said the meeting primarily concerned a Russian adoption programme, though emails released later showed that Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., enthusiastically agreed to the sit-down with a Russian lawyer and others after he was promised dirt on Trump's presidential rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. Hicks was with the president on Air Force One while they were writing the initial statement.
"All of our questions about what went into that statement went unanswered," Schiff said.
Hope Hicks OUT. Who will be the next to go?! #TheCelebrityAppresident #BringBackTheMooch pic.twitter.com/d1NwtjveVS
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 28, 2018
As the interview wore on, Hicks and her lawyer relented on one area of questioning — the transition period between the election and the inauguration. She initially refused to answer all those questions, but Schiff said it became clear to the House lawmakers that she had answered questions about that time period in a separate interview with the Senate intelligence panel. That committee is also investigating the meddling and spoke to Hicks several months ago.
After House lawmakers argued that she should treat the two committees equally, Hicks and her lawyer conferred with the White House, Schiff said. She then began to answer some questions related to the transition. Schiff said Democrats had asked for a subpoena after she refused to answer questions, but Republicans had declined to issue one.
That marks a difference from the GOP response to former White House strategist Steve Bannon, who also refused to answer questions, including about the transition. Republicans subpoenaed him during his interview in January when he declined to answer, but Bannon has yet to fully cooperate, despite a return visit to the panel two weeks ago. The House is now considering whether to hold Bannon in contempt.
Rooney, who is one of the Republicans leading the Russia probe, said he didn't think Hicks should be subpoenaed, saying she was "very forthright and open to the questions that we've had."
In the hours before Hicks' arrival, Trump tweeted several times, quoting cable news commentators who said they hadn't seen evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia. One tweet encouraged investigations of Clinton. And a closing tweet simply said, "WITCH HUNT!"
Asked about Hicks' refusal to answer some questions, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said "we are cooperating because as the president has said repeatedly there is no collusion, and we're going to continue to cooperate, and hopefully they'll wrap this up soon."
- AP
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