Hope Hicks meets with prosecutors in Donald Trump hush-money probe
New York, New York - Hope Hicks, former spokesperson to Donald Trump, met with prosecutors looking into hush-money payments the ex-president made to women.
Hicks was spotted with her lawyer, Robert Trout, leaving the Manhattan district attorney's office after spending several hours inside on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
The former White House communications director went in just days after Trump's former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and former lawyer Michael Cohen faced questioning on the same matter.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to arranging payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal in an attempt to keep them quiet about their alleged affairs with Trump.
Cohen gave Daniels $130,000 through his own company. The payment was reimbursed by Trump, whose company put it down to "legal expenses."
The publisher of the National Enquirer made McDougal’s $150,000 payment and then killed her story.
Hope Hicks appears to have known about hush-money payments
Records show that Hope Hicks appears to have known about the hush-money payments. In October 2016, she reportedly spoke with Trump and Cohen on the phone the day after the release of Trump's 2005 "grab 'em by the p***y" Access Hollywood tape.
Fearing the alleged affairs might impact the 2016 election result, Cohen spoke with top execs at the National Enquirer before engaging in more back-and-forth communications with Trump and the publication.
McDougall's story remained under wraps until the Wall Street Journal published an article just days before the 2016 election.
Cohen and Hicks seemed satisfied with the campaign's strategy to keep the story quiet.
"So far I see only 6 stories. Getting little to no traction," Cohen said via text message, records show.
"Same. Keep praying!! It’s working!" Hicks replied.
Although federal prosecutors and former Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. declined to press charges in the hush-money investigations back in 2018, the current DA Alvin Bragg has shown interest in revisiting the case and potentially pursuing charges against Trump.
If he does go forward, it would be the first time in US history that a former president has been charged with a crime.
Cover photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP