MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell usually takes Friday nights off but he attended Trump’s trial on both Thursday and Friday and was in the actual courtroom in a good seat. So he did a rare Friday night show and delivered a deservedly brutal takedown of Hope Hicks. Right off the bat he called her the face of privilege. He went on to note her wealthy upbringing and the advantages she has had all her life, and the options available to her. Yet O’Donnell bitingly noted she chose to immerse herself in Trump World. First working for “Jarvanka” but then joining with Trump himself. And accepting a position (Campaign Communications Director) she was in no way qualified for.
However as we’ve all learned before she took the witness stand this week Hicks was right there for most of the sleaze, scandal and even lawbreaking by Trump during both the campaign and his Presidency. What O’Donnell didn’t mention during the hour was how Hicks parents wanted her out of Trump’s orbit. Relief when she left (for a brief time) and despair when she went back. Hicks remained sort of caught up in things Trump after he was out of the WH, up it seems until 2022. However as O’Donnell had noted she comes from wealth and privilege and money for the best legal representation was never an issue for her.
Hicks did not need, nor it seems want a Trump paid for lawyer. Someone with loving parents who had money most of us can only dream of helped make sure she got sound legal advice and from someone who would put HER interests first. It seems Hope Hicks, child of privilege realized she wasn’t cut out for prison and chose to listen to her lawyer. She cooperated, first with the J6 Committee and then with Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. Probably other investigations too as we’ll learn in the months and years ahead.
On the witness stand Hicks testimony on direct examination was, as Newsweek reports devastating to Trump. Hicks, like other prosecution witnesses shot down the narrative Team Trump has floated (and will try to argue when it’s their turn to present their defense case) that the hush money payments were to spare Melania/his family from embarrassment. Hicks corroborated the prosecution’s argument that it was all about the election. She was able to provide compelling details about the frenzy of “how do we handle this?” after the Access Hollywood tape came out. Oh, and she also described Trump as a very hands-on boss. Ouch.
The defense did get a bit of help from her on cross, getting her to say a couple of nice things about him being a good family man (perjury for sure but not the kind that gets people prosecuted unfortunately) and a bit more but on re-direct the prosecution returned to the main point they wanted from her, and she didn’t quibble in admitting the whole cover-up scheme was about the election. That’s going to be hugely important.
However let’s get to this business of her breaking down at the beginning of cross examination. Hicks had to know two things. First that she’d just thrown her former boss under the bus. Second, given how some of the cross of prior witnesses had gone she might be in for a rough time for having done so. She knows Trump and how quickly he will turn on people. Hicks had refused to lie for him. She had put HERSELF and HER interests (staying out of prison and in a few years fading into obscurity) ahead of Trump’s. Hope Hicks, a close confidant of Trump’s knows all too well what happens to people Trump decides have been “disloyal.”
So, Hicks had reason to be apprehensive as Team Trump knew she had cooperated with the J6 Committee, and that if the prosecution was calling her she probably wasn’t going to cover for Trump. Trump may well have deluded himself into thinking that sitting there a few feet away from him she’d go all squishy on the prosecutors. He probably assured his lawyers that would happen, but I’m quite certain his lawyers were prepared just in case. And after direct testimony it was clearly “in case” time. Trump’s lawyers I believe actually did a good job, got what little they could from Hicks and chose to move on. Trump was probably so stunned he let them more or less give her a pass from the kind of harsh questioning prior witnesses had gotten. And by now I’ll bet he’s plenty pissed about it but that’s another story.
Still, I’m convinced that what cause Hicks to cry was she STILL believes in Trump. Has affection (not romantic. Yuck!) and was feeling overwhelmed with guilt. For throwing Trump under the bus – instead of herself! Which is why when it comes to her sobs and tears I say again, “Boo F**king Hoo.” I remind you with what I wrote at the beginning. This is a woman born with every advantage. Wealth. Stable family and accomplished parents with wide reaching connections. Pretty. Reasonably (academically at least) smart. And what did she choose to with with the incredible advantages and opportunities ahead of her? Work for Trump. And, when for a bit she wised up and got out she went back!
I don’t know how/why but somewhere along the way Hope Hicks developed some serious self-esteem issues. There’s an article from People Magazine that briefly points them out. For a while she had a relationship with top aid Rob Porter who had to resign suddenly when news broke of his physical abuse of both ex-wives. There was also her on again off again relationship with Trump advisor/advocate Corey Lewandowski, also known to be an abuser of women. As the People article note in the book Fire and Fury author Michael Wolfe recounted an incident where Hicks ran crying from a meeting when in front of everyone (referring to her and Lewandowski) she was “the best piece of tail” Lewandowski had/will ever have.
Despite Trump treating Hicks like THAT, she still as I said went back to work for him! Yeah, I’d say we are talking about someone with pretty low self-esteem issues. So little does Hicks think of her own self-worth that she broke down crying on the witness stand because she felt guilty for protecting herself instead of Trump. So, when it comes to sympathy for “poor Hope Hicks” I have zero f**ks to give. No sweet dreams for her as far as I’m concerned. I hope they are haunted by visions of what she might have done with all the advantages she was born to.
And maybe, someone like a Nicole Wallace or Liz Cheney or even Cassidy Hutchinson will reach out to her down the road and get through to her. She can dedicate the rest of her life atoning for the damage she helped cause with her serving Trump for all those years. Time will tell. But for now since Hicks is suffering I say she damn well should be!
CNN is trying to rehabilitate Hicks.
Crying on the stand?
Crocodile tears is the phrase that comes to mind.
“getting her to say a couple of nice things about him being a good family man (perjury for sure but not the kind that gets people prosecuted unfortunately)”
Unless you can PROVE that she HONESTLY did not believe what she was saying, there’s NO perjury involved. YOU AND I (and many others here) may believe that Trump is anything but a “good family man” but there are many different ideas of what entails a “good family man.” For instance, it wasn’t all that long ago that a “good family man” spent almost no time at home with his wife and kids because he was busy making a living and keeping a roof over their heads. And, of course, you’ve got to remember what words come from the neighbors of people arrested for being serial killers or terrorists: “Well, I can’t believe it. He always seemed so helpful and considerate. Why I remember how he went over to old Mrs McElroy’s house and drove her to her doctor’s appointments and picked up groceries for her. And he always let the kids wait on his porch when it was raining and they had to wait for the bus. And now you’re telling me he’s a serial killer/terrorist?!?! I just can’t believe it.”
Also, unless she’s on record somewhere else stating the opposite opinion (and it IS an opinion), perjury won’t apply. Depending on when you asked me, I might have said–even under oath–that my own dad wasn’t a “good family man.” (And I held that opinion on several occasions.) But, see, that’s the thing about opinions: They can, and often do, change with time. Which is probably why no one ever prosecutes people based on their opinions.
Good provider is not the same as a good family man ahole!
hicks is trying to have it both ways-wants to cooperate to keep her ass as far from charges being filed against her as possible and wants to work for the mango moron should he successfully steal the 2024 election. She figures squeezing out a few will mollify trump. Hell, he’s an idiot so maybe those couple of drops a moisture might work.
While she might be academically smart, she seems pretty clueless to me. If she’d spent less of her life gazing at herself in the mirror and focusing on her ‘picture perfect’ appearance, hair, make up, and throwing herself at worthless men, maybe, just maybe she might have learned a thing or two, maybe stumbled over a clue. She’s just another one in the tRump stable of ‘babes’, phony to the core, no brain or soul to speak of. Pretty is as pretty does.