World Courant
Hope Hicks, the previous shut aide to Donald Trump, is predicted to testify within the former president’s upcoming New York felony trial associated to hush cash funds to former porn actress Stormy Daniels.
NBC Information, citing an unnamed supply, reported earlier in the present day that Hicks was anticipated to be a witness for the prosecution. ABC Information additionally reported that Hicks was anticipated to take the stand.
Her legal professional, Robert Trout, declined to remark. A spokesperson for the Manhattan district legal professional, Alvin Bragg, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Hicks was a spokesperson for the Trump Group in 2015 when, firstly of Trump’s bid for the presidency, she served as his marketing campaign press secretary. She later served as communications director within the White Home, then left to affix Fox Corp. as chief communications officer, earlier than returning to the administration as counselor to the president.
Final yr, Hicks met with prosecutors prematurely of prices being filed in opposition to Trump. He has pleaded not responsible to prices associated to falsifying enterprise information, in reference to the funds that had been made to Daniels prematurely of the 2016 election. One other key witness within the case is predicted to be Michael Cohen, Trump’s former legal professional and so-called “fixer.” Hicks’ legal professional has beforehand denied that she was concerned within the conversations concerning the funds.
Trump’s trial is scheduled to start out on April 15.
Prosecutors within the case have additionally requested the decide within the case, Juan Merchan, to make clear the scope of his gag order on Trump. Final week, Merchan issued a gag order that restricts what Trump can say about prosecutors apart from Bragg, in addition to about courtroom workers and their members of the family. Trump has continued to assault Merchan’s daughter.
“This subject isn’t sophisticated. Members of the family of trial individuals should be strictly off-limits,” prosecutors wrote. “Defendant’s insistence on the contrary speaks a harmful sense of entitlement to instigate worry and even bodily hurt to the family members of these he sees within the courtroom. This Court docket ought to instantly clarify that the defendant is prohibited from making or directing others to make public statements about members of the family of the Court docket, the District Legal professional, and all different people talked about within the Order.”
Trump has attacked Merchan’s daughter, Loren, a Democratic political guide, in an effort to make the case that the decide is biased in opposition to him. Trump referred to as her a “speedy Trump hater” and in addition posted a information story with pictures of her on his social media platform, Reality Social. Trump has pointed to X/Twitter social media posts to her, though a courtroom spokesman mentioned that it was a “manipulation of an account she way back deserted.”
Trump’s attorneys wrote in response, “President Trump’s marketing campaign advocacy on points that bear on his candidacy, in addition to the looks of impropriety related to these proceedings that warrants recusal, isn’t a foundation for violating the First and Sixth Amendments but once more by increasing the gag order.”
