Ex-Donald Trump aide Hope Hicks testifies ex-president told her to deny Stormy Daniels affair
- Her statements gave hush money trial jurors an inside look at the Trump campaign’s damage control efforts amid accusations of unflattering sexual behaviour
- Hicks also described how her boss was upset about the ‘Access Hollywood’ recording in which he bragged about grabbing women’s genitals
Hope Hicks, a former top aide to Donald Trump, testified on Friday that he told her in the final days of the 2016 US presidential election to deny that he had a sexual relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels.
Hicks’ testimony gave jurors an inside look at the campaign’s damage control efforts when Trump faced multiple accusations of unflattering sexual behaviour in the waning weeks of his successful White House campaign.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records to cover up a US$130,000 payment made at that time to Daniels, who was threatening to go public with her story of their 2006 sexual encounter.
Hicks testified that she told Trump four days before the November 8, 2016, election that The Wall Street Journal would publish details of Daniels’ story.
“He wanted to make sure that there was a denial of any kind of relationship,” said Hicks, who served as campaign press secretary.
She said Trump did not want his wife Melania to see the story, which also included allegations that he had an affair with former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Trump has denied having sex with either woman.
