Hope Hicks, the longtime aide to Donald Trump who was at his side during his rise to power, was the final witness to take the stand this week, capping three days of testimony that further illustrated the inner workings of his operation and how the alleged hush money payments came about.
If the prosecution is trying to tell a story, Hicks was a reluctant narrator. She admitted to feeling nervous as she took the stand. She wasn’t effusive in her details of what happened, even as she offered praise for Trump’s skills at messaging and branding.
But she still continued to tie together the points that the prosecution is trying to make, chiefly that Trump was upset about accusations that he had an affair and was willing to pay to cover them up. Hicks testified very little about the payment itself, but she did say the 2016 presidential campaign was in “crisis” when the “Access Hollywood” tape went public, as it scrambled to prevent any further damage.
Hicks’ testimony came after that of Keith Davidson, a lawyer in Los Angeles who admitted on cross-examination to being involved in a litany of agreements involving celebrities and stories they didn’t want to see become public.
While his motives were far different, Davidson also appeared reluctant to dish the details on the stand, giving very concise answers and at times invoking attorney-client privilege. That may play to the prosecution’s benefit.
Trump’s defense is going to try to paint Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen as seeking revenge on Trump and attention to line his own pockets. The prosecution is using witnesses like Hicks and Davidson to corroborate Cohen’s testimony, and that they’re doing so without much glee may help undermine the argument that everyone presented by the prosecution is simply out to get Trump.
