Just as speculated by the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee on Monday, California Representative Adam Schiff had stated that there is a possibility that Hope Hicks will refrain from answering their questions about the White House. Hope Hicks is White House’s Communication Director and a longtime aide to Donald Trump. She is also considered Trump’s close confidant.
It is confirmed that Hope Hicks had a 9-hour closed-door interview session with the House Intelligence Committee where she refused to answer questions about her time in the White House. She advised the committee just like Steve Bannon that she was advised not to answer the questions by the White House. Steve runs the risk of being held in contempt of Congress and as such, Hope may face the same risk.
The objective of the Panel in the House Intelligence Committee
As regards to the Russian probe, the committee is tasked with the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections and any contacts with Trump’s campaign team. The committee’s mandate runs alongside two other panels; the Mueller Russian probe team and the Senate Intelligence Committee. As a close aide to Trump, Hicks was close to the President acting as the spokeswoman for the 2016 presidential campaign.
Details on the Interview
Adam Schiff stated that Hicks responded to questions about her role in the 2016 Trump campaign team. She also answered questions about the transition period between the presidential election and the President’s inauguration. Being the Presidents longtime aide and confidant, Hicks is considered as a key witness for all the three Russian probe committees investigating possible links between Trump’s campaign team and the Russian meddling. Schiff added that she would not answer any questions involving the period after Trump’s oath of office. Unlike Steve Bannon the White House Strategist, Hicks did not invoke any executive privileges. She just asserted that she was advised not to answer.
Hicks answered questions on whether she had ever lied to her boss. According to an anonymous source who was not at liberty to speak about the interview, Hicks said that she had sometimes told “white lies” for the President but had never lied about something substantive. Tom Rooney the Republican Representative for Florida and a member of the committee said that Hicks response was not in relation to the Russian investigation. He asserted that when Hicks was asked if she was ever requested by the President to lie about Russia she answered no. Rooney explained that it was within their jurisdiction to ask about lies in regards to the Russian probe but not about other forms of lies.
