Trump hush money trial sees Hope Hicks take the stand
New York, New York - Former White House communications director Hope Hicks took the stand in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, and it was one for the books.
On Friday, Hicks became the ninth witness in the case called to the stand, and is the first member of Trump's inner circle to testify against him.
"I'm really nervous," Hicks told the court, as the former president stared at her intently only feet away.
Her former boss is facing 34 felony charges for allegedly falsifying business records in an effort to hide payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, to cover up an affair he has long denied.
Hicks began her testimony explaining her role as Trump's press secretary in 2016, a time in which she said she had Trump's "trust and respect."
She was then pressed by prosecutors about her knowledge of the infamous Access Hollywood tape released prior to the elections, where Trump was heard bragging about grabbing women's genitals.
"I had a good sense to believe this was going to be a massive story and that it was going to dominate the news cycle for the next several days," Hicks explained. "This was a damaging development."
She went on to describe the panic that set in within Trump's presidential campaign as they sought to bury the story and any others that could ruin his election chances, or his reputation with his family.
Hope Hicks shares details on her role in covering up the alleged affairs
Hicks went on to share details about receiving an email from The Wall Street Journal, which was in the process of publishing an article about Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who also claims to have had an affair with Trump.
As press secretary, Hicks worked with Trump's attorney at that time, Michael Cohen, to draft a statement denying the allegations.
The two also sought out the existence of another rumored Trump tape, but could not find it.
At one point, Hicks spoke about Trump's fear of his family finding out about the allegations, particularly his wife Melania, who he was married to when the alleged affairs took place.
She claimed Trump "really values" Melania's opinion of him, and he ordered Hicks to make sure she didn't find out.
"He was concerned about the story," Hicks recalled. "He was concerned about how it would be viewed by his wife, and he wanted me to make sure that the newspapers weren't delivered to his residence that morning."
Her remarks concerning his family could serve to help Trump's defense, as his legal team has argued that the payments were made to hide the allegations from his family, instead of being used to interfere with the elections as prosecutors have claimed.
The trial is scheduled to resume on Monday, but it's unclear if Hicks will be called to testify again.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / UPI Photo