'Deny!' Hope Hicks reveals Trump camp's scrambles to control Access Hollywood tape fallout
MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT — Former Donald Trump campaign press secretary Hope Hicks took the stand Friday to answer questions about what she heard during the final month of the 2016 campaign.
She explained that she was working for Trump when the "Access Hollywood" tape was revealed, with Trump bragging he could grab women without consent, Raw Story reported from the courtroom.
The Manhattan District Attorney claims that the reason Trump rushed to pay women alleging they'd had affairs with him was due to that tape. Trump now faces 34 felonies involving claims he falsified business records to conceal payments to an adult movie actress with whom he had a sexual relationship.
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Hicks revealed she first heard about the "Access Hollywood" Tape from the Washington Post, whose reporters called for a comment. She forwarded it to senior leadership and was "concerned," she testified.
"Did you prepare talking points?" Hicks was asked. She agreed.
"Who did you report to as press secretary?" the D.A. lawyer asked.
“I reported to Mr. Trump,” said Hicks, noting that they spoke daily either by telephone or in person. “He was very involved.”
Trump was in charge of messaging, she said, noting, "He knew what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it. We were all following his lead.”
Her message to top campaign leadership after the Washington Post call said that she needed to hear the tape to "be sure" what was on it.
She then said the strategy would be to, "Deny, deny, deny."
Trump has continued denying he knew adult film star Daniels and Playboy playmate Karen McDougal, with whom he also allegedly paid to keep quiet about a relationship.
Hicks recalled Trump being "upset" about the Access Hollywood tape.
Trump "said that it didn't sound like something that he would say," Hicks recalled. She then acknowledged she was with Trump when he watched the tape.