Hope Hicks' testimony in her former boss' criminal hush money trial could be a "nightmare" for the defense based on her track record, according to one legal expert.
Hicks, a former senior White House adviser in Donald Trump's administration, took the stand Friday in the former president's case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to money allegedly paid to adult film actor Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair secret. Trump has denied having affairs with her and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
"Useful to think of witnesses according to what the other side can say about them in closing argument. In that sense, Hicks is a nightmare for the defense. They can try to argue around her testimony but will be extremely hard to suggest she's lying or puffing," Harry Litman, an attorney and former deputy assistant attorney general, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Hicks served in multiple capacities during Trump's first term, including as a director of communications and as a close confidant.
Upon taking the witness stand, Hicks—who ascended to the White House after being in a full-time position at The Trump Organization in 2014—explained that she has no current professional relationship with Trump. They have not communicated since the summer or fall of 2022, she added, describing him as a "very good multitasker and hard worker."
She also recalled calls between Trump and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, a pivotal witness for the state who led off the trial, regarding the Access Hollywood tape that Hicks said caused a campaign "crisis" on October 7, 2016, due to its content and proximity to the election.
"I think she is an incredibly powerful witness for the prosecution," Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former Manhattan chief assistant district attorney, told Newsweek via email on Friday. "[She's] a true insider who has no axe to grind, no baggage, no bias. The jury will believe her. The defense will try and neutralize her testimony."
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek via phone on Friday that Hicks is the trial's third substantive witness after Pecker and Keith Davidson, attorney for Daniels and McDougal.
"The defense will do what they did with others," Rahmani said. "Obviously, it was easier with the others due to the parties, whether it was McDougal or Daniels. [Hicks] has no financial motive and is not a co-conspirator."
While Trump's legal team has argued that the charges have nothing to do with the 2016 election, Rahmani said the state can use Hicks' testimony to their advantage by making it about the election.
"At the end of the day, Hicks is a woman and is telling the jurors about the Access Hollywood tapes," he said. "Some other jurors are not going to want to hear about it; some already know.
"You can tell Trump is getting agitated about that....At a minimum, Hope Hicks is dirtying up Donald Trump."
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Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek reporter based in Michigan. His focus is reporting on Ukraine and Russia, along with social ... Read more
