Former top Trump aide Hope Hicks broke down on the stand during her testimony on Day 11 of Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York.
One of Donald Trump’s closest former advisers testified Friday about the “frantic” hours in after his campaign learned about the existence and imminent release of the “Access Hollywood” tape, offering a glimpse into one of the most consequential moments of the 2016 presidential election.
Hope Hicks spent nearly three hours on the witness stand, at one point breaking down in tears. The interlude prompted a short afternoon break before she returned to the stand — but elicited no visible reaction from Trump.
Trump is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election. The former president has denied all wrongdoing.
Testimony resumes on Monday at 9:30 a.m. ET with a new witness, as Trump awaits Judge Juan Merchan’s ruling on four additional alleged gag order violations after the judge found the former president guilty of nine.
Here are the three big takeaways from Day 11 of the proceedings.
A month before the 2016 election, when Hope Hicks received an email from a reporter about the imminent release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump bragged about grabbing women, she “had a good sense that this was going to be a massive story and dominate the news cycle,” she testified.
