Hope Hicks, the former communications director for the Trump White House, just took the stand at the criminal trial of former president Donald Trump and testified that he was "very involved" in the campaign and media responses.
As the press secretary during the campaign of the former president, Hicks said that she reported directly to Trump.
Hicks was asked how often she would speak to him during the campaign period, and she narrated that she spoke with Trump on a daily basis, whether it was in person or through calls.
The former White House communications director was then asked about the degree of involvement of the former president in the overall messaging during his campaign, and she answered categorically that they were only "following his lead," The Guardian noted.
"Mr. Trump was responsible for it. He knew what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it, and we were all just following his lead. He deserves the credit," she said.
Matthew Colangelo, one of the prosecutors, was trying to establish during the trial the degree of involvement of Trump in his media strategy and how he exercised control regarding what goes on in his media campaign.
Colangelo asked Hicks who was responsible for the branding strategy of the campaign, to which he received an affirmative response, stating that Trump was responsible.
The prosecution also asked Hicks about the details of Trump's alleged involvement with the leadership at the National Enquirer concerning a deal where the latter would "catch and kill" stories regarded as harmful to his presidential campaign, NPR reported.
Hicks recalled the times when she heard her former boss on the phone with David Pecker, who was described by prosecutors as the one who plotted with Trump and Michael Cohen on how to bury stories that would prove damaging to his campaign.
She also recalled an incident where the National Enquirer published a story about Trump's rival Ben Carson concerning the latter's medical practice, to which she allegedly overheard Trump conveying a congratulatory message for "great reporting."
However, regarding specifics about Michael Cohen's role in the Trump Organization, Hicks said that she did not know what Cohen did specifically. What she mentioned was that Cohen was allegedly involved in "some license deals" for hotel projects and the Miss Universe pageant.
While narrating what she allegedly heard and saw during the campaign, she noted that Trump was a "very hard worker" and that he was also a "multi-tasker."
