Last week, former House Communications Secretary and long-time Trump aide testified before the House Judiciary Committee regarding the Mueller investigation and her knowledge of the Trump campaign’s “possible” ties to Russia.
According to a transcript released after Hicks’ testimony, she refused to answer questions over 150 times, but what she did say appears to be very telling, as she subtly implicated Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in an attempted cover-up.
According to a recent report by Mother Jones:
‘Despite the debates over the extent of the contacts between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, over the allegations that the president obstructed justice, and over the issue of whether Congress ought to impeach him, special counsel Robert Mueller’s report reached an indisputable conclusion that Trump, his aides, and his family lied often and profoundly about their interactions with Russia during the 2016 election. This dishonesty has been routinely overlooked in the post-Mueller media storm. And last week, during her closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee, Hope Hicks, while refusing to answer scores of questions, made a little-noticed remark that suggested Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had lied to Hicks to hide one of the most suspicious and problematic contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia. With her testimony, Hicks implicated Kushner in an attempted cover-up.’
Shortly after Trump’s election win, just two days after in fact, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reportedly told a Russian outlet that “there were contacts” between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin during the 2016 election, which of course Trump adamantly denies. Hicks also denied that report at the time, stating that “it never happened” and “there was no communication between the campaign and any foreign entity during the campaign.”
Robert Mueller’s report, of course, shows that to be blatantly untrue and that investigators “established multiple links between Trump Campaign officials and individuals tied to the Russian government. Those links included Russian offers of assistance to the Campaign. In some instances, the Campaign was receptive to the offer, while in other instances the Campaign officials shied away.”
When in her closed-door meeting with the House Judiciary Committee, Hicks claimed that she didn’t intentionally lie to the press when she said there was no communication between the campaign and Russia, because that’s what “senior officials” told her. She also expressed to Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., that she was “surprised” to learn otherwise.
Dean asked:
‘And who was it that told you there were no contacts?’
Hicks replied, stating:
‘I believe I spoke to several people.’
She then named former communications aide, Jason Miller, and Jared Kushner among the “several people” who told her.
Mother Jones also writes:
‘So if Hicks’ testimony is accurate—that she checked with Kushner on her blanket denial—that would mean that Kushner misled her and that he bears responsibility for one of the biggest lies Trump and company told. Hicks’ account suggests that Kushner, in the wake of Trump’s victory, tried to prevent the truth from emerging and helped fashion one of the earliest expressions of the Trump team’s false and misleading cover story. ‘
Neither Hicks nor Kushner’s attornies have responded to requests for comment, but we will keep you updated on this ongoing story.
Featured image via screenshot.
