U.S. House panel to quiz ex-Trump aide
Hicks, White House asserts immunity
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[June 19, 2019]
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hope Hicks, once a
close aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, is due to face questions in
Congress on Wednesday on six instances in which Democrats believe Trump
may have broken the law during the 2016 election campaign and while in
the White House.
The White House has asserted immunity over any testimony by Hicks
involving her 14 months at the White House, according to a knowledgeable
source. But the 30-year-old former fashion model was still expected to
appear under subpoena before the House Judiciary Committee at 9 a.m.
(1300 GMT).
She was expected to be accompanied by four lawyers - two from the White
House and two of her own, said sources with knowledge of the situation.
Hicks could remain well into the evening, fielding a wide range of
questions from the panel's 41 Democratic and Republican lawmakers and
staff.
Hicks was Trump's former campaign press secretary and his White House
communications director until she left the administration in March 2018.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2019/Jun/19/images/ads/current/graue_19_sonic_050719.png)
Democrats want to hear from her about alleged hush money payments made
during the campaign to two women, including porn star Stormy Daniels,
who say they had affairs with Trump. He has denied the affairs.
They also want Hicks to talk about five examples of potential
obstruction of justice by Trump that are laid out in U.S. Special
Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election meddling in the 2016
presidential election, as well as the president's efforts to impede the
Mueller investigation.
Assertions during questioning of executive privilege, a legal principle
sometimes cited by presidents to keep White House information under
wraps, would block a key line of inquiry by the committee and could lead
to a subsequent legal challenge.
Despite the closed setting, Democrats, who control the House of
Representatives, view Hicks' appearance as a breakthrough for their
congressional investigation, which could trigger impeachment proceedings
against the president if it unearths evidence of serious misconduct.
Democrats say her appearance could help undermine Trump's strategy of
stonewalling congressional investigators by encouraging others to
cooperate with them and by giving investigators the chance to challenge
any executive privilege assertions, possibly in federal court.
LEGAL ACTION?
The White House last month asserted executive privilege to block the
release of Mueller's full, unredacted report and related evidence, such
as investigative interviews. The committee and the Justice Department
have since reached an agreement giving panel members access to more of
the Mueller report and some underlying material from the investigation.
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![](../images/061919pics/news_p21.jpg)
President Donald Trump reacts as he stands next to former White
House Communications Director Hope Hicks outside of the Oval Office
as he departs the White House for a trip to Cleveland, Ohio, in
Washington D.C., U.S., March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File
Photo
![](../images/ads/current/fitzpatrick_lda_SPONSOR_2017.png)
The House voted 229-191 on June 11 on party lines to
authorize House committees to file lawsuits in federal court seeking
orders from judges to compel officials to cooperate with official
congressional demands for testimony or evidence.
Former White House Counsel Don McGahn, a star witness in the Mueller
report, last month defied a subpoena for his testimony and documents
after the White House directed him not to cooperate with the
Judiciary panel.
McGahn could face legal action. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold
Nadler said last week that other witnesses, including Hicks and
former McGahn aide Annie Donaldson, could also face court action if
they defy committee subpoenas.
Mueller's 448-page report found insufficient evidence to establish
that the Trump campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with
Moscow, despite numerous contacts between the campaign and Russia.
It also described numerous attempts by Trump to impede Mueller's
probe, but stopped short of declaring that he committed a crime.
Democrats want Hicks to testify about an effort by the president to
mislead the public about a June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower in
New York, where the Mueller report said campaign officials,
including the president's son Donald Trump Jr., met with Russians
offering "dirt" on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary
Clinton. A key question is whether Trump himself was aware of the
meeting at the time.
Aides said Hicks would also be asked about alleged obstruction by
Trump involving McGahn, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions,
former FBI Director James Comey and former national security adviser
Michael Flynn.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2019/Jun/19/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png)
A transcript of her testimony, which will be released after the
interview, will be featured at a Thursday hearing where the
committee will examine an ABC News interview, in which Trump said he
saw nothing wrong with accepting damaging information about a U.S.
political opponent from a foreign government, aides said.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter
Cooney)
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