News: What Hope Hicks did for the case against Trump

Saturday, May 4, 2024

What Hope Hicks did for the case against Trump

May 04, 2024

By Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade

Presented by

With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine

DRIVING THE DAY

SPOTTED: South Dakota Gov. KRISTI NOEM at Mar-a-Lago this morning for the big donor retreat hosted by DONALD TRUMP. She was on a panel with North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM, with RNC Chair MICHAEL WHATLEY asking them questions. We’re told the first question for her was a polite softball about how as governor she didn’t shut down her state during Covid. “Could you talk to us about how you make tough decisions?” Whatley asked, per a source with knowledge. No word on any dog jokes. Pic

Read on for more on Noem’s rocky book rollout …

While Hope Hicks' testimony may ultimately have been devastating, she dropped in plenty of positive words about Donald Trump. | Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

HOPE TAKES THE STAND — Yesterday was the most dramatic day of testimony in the Trump hush money trial as HOPE HICKS spent several hours on the stand, delivering crucial testimony about both her longtime boss and the key witness in the case, MICHAEL COHEN.

A reluctant witness … Hicks spoke of the former president with deep respect. She made it clear she was there under subpoena, and she referred to him always as “Mr. Trump,” the honorific reporters heard her use when she first started flacking for his candidacy in 2015.

While her testimony may ultimately have been devastating — more on that in a moment — she dropped in plenty of positive words about the former president:

“He is a very good multitasker and a very hard worker. He is always doing many things at once.”

“Everybody that works there in some sense reports to Mr. Trump. It’s a very big and successful company, but it’s really run like a small family business in certain ways.”

“He knew what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it, and we were all just following his lead. So, you know, I think that he deserves the credit for, you know, the different messages that the campaign focused on.”

Later, during cross-examination, she threw him another bone when she was asked by lawyer EMIL BOVE whether the Trump campaign’s media strategy was typical: “I’ve only been on one campaign, but it was a great one, and that is my understanding.”

Bove also got Hicks to agree with some of what they want to emphasize about Cohen, including that he would often “go rogue” and “wasn't a part of the campaign” and “was really just a lawyer” at the Trump Organization.

Hicks testified that despite Cohen’s role as a self-described “fixer,” it was “only because he first broke it that he was able to come and fix it.”

At certain times prosecutor MATTHEW COLANGELO had to draw out of her the testimony he was seeking. For instance, she didn’t seem to go as far as Colangelo wanted in terms of what she remembered Trump telling her to say to the WSJ about the alleged affair with STORMY DANIELS, so he pointed her back to her prior grand jury testimony.

“Did Mr. Trump tell you to say to the Wall Street Journal that the relationship with Stormy Daniels was ‘absolutely, unequivocally untrue’?” he asked her.

“Yes,” Hicks said. “Yes.”

Hiding the news from Melania … One of the most riveting details she relayed was also helpful to one of Trump’s main defenses on the trial. She made it clear that he did not want MELANIA TRUMP to learn of the allegations against her husband from Daniels and KAREN McDOUGAL. His almost farcical method of hiding it when the WSJ piece came out on Nov. 4, 2016: “He wanted me to make sure that the newspapers weren’t delivered to their residence that morning,” Hicks testified.

During cross-examination Bove returned to this, asking Hicks about her “observations of that relationship.”

She replied, “President Trump really values Mrs. Trump’s opinion, and she doesn’t weigh in all the time, but when she does, it’s really meaningful to him. And, you know, he really, really respects what she has to say. So I think he was just concerned about what her perception of this would be.”

“I don’t think he wanted anyone in his family to be hurt or embarrassed by anything that was happening on the campaign,” she added later. “He wanted them to be proud of him.”

Hicks, who in private is known for her sense of humor, also got off one of the funnier lines of the trial — and at Cohen’s expense. Colangelo showed her a mangled text from Cohen about the WSJ article: "Poorly written and I dot [sic] see it getting much play.”

“Did you understand him to mean: ‘I don't see it getting much play’? Colangelo asked.

“I did,” she said, adding dryly, “Just a little irony there.”

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The coup de grace? … But Hicks also delivered a devastating blow against Trump, whom she said she hasn’t spoken to since the summer or fall of 2022. It took two tries for Colangelo to get it out of her.

“Did Mr. Trump say anything else about this issue when he told you that Michael made the payment [to Daniels]?” he asked.

“Um, just that he thought it was a generous, um, you know, thing to do, and he was appreciative of the loyalty,” she stammered. “That’s all I remember.”

But there was something else, something important. Colangelo tried again: “Did he say anything about the timing of the news reporting regarding —”

Now she remembered. “Oh, he — yes,” she began.

“He wanted to know how it was playing, and just my thoughts and opinion about this story versus having the story — a different kind of story before the campaign had Michael not made that payment. And I think Mr. Trump’s opinion was, it was better to be dealing with it now and that it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election.”

“Thank you,” Colangelo said. “No further questions.”

Moments later, as cross-examination began, Hicks broke down and cried.

Related reads: “The Trump trial is the latest must-see attraction for tourists in New York,” by the Daily Mail’s Rob Crilly … “The Cavalry Comes for Trump,” by Calder McHugh

Good Saturday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook. May the Fourth be with you! Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

NOEM GHOSTWRITER IN THE DOGHOUSE — Is Noem biting the hand that feeds her? The Dakota Scout, whose dogged reporters first sniffed out that Noem’s claim to have met with KIM JONG UN was a little far-fetched, chased down the latest kibble on the troubled rollout of her new book, “No Going Back” ($30).

After being hounded yesterday about the Kim tale and our report about Noem alleging that NIKKI HALEY barked a threat at her in 2021 — which team Haley said was a bit of a howler since the call happened in 2020 — Noem’s attack dog IAN FURY finally responded.

“Friday, Fury said that account is one of ‘two small errors’ that shouldn’t have been included in the book,” the Scout reported, “instead blaming a ghostwriter who wrote the book on Noem’s behalf. ‘This has been communicated to the ghostwriter and editor,’ Fury said. ‘Kim Jong Un was included in a list of world leaders and shouldn’t have been.’”

In other words, the Noem defense is that this was a case of the tail (the ghostwriter) wagging the dog (Noem). On X, which has been having a ball with this story, the general response was that dog won’t hunt. CHASTEN BUTTIGIEG said, “If you didn’t write it, at least read it before hitting send.” MARKOS MOULITSAS notes this morning that Noem herself narrated the audiobook version of her tome.

Meanwhile, Playbook reader MATT MANDA (aka Mr. ELISE STEFANIK) responded to our question about whether Cricket’s chicken-eating suggested that the animal was improving her bird-hunting skills. While not taking a position on whether he endorsed Noem’s gravel pit execution of the dog or not, Manda said on X:

“A well-trained, disciplined bird dog knows to ‘point’ ‘heel’ & ‘retrieve’ w/o eating or tearing birds apart. They obey commands & help hunters harvest full birds to bring home & cook!”

Fair enough, but Cricket was only 14 months old, and as South Dakota dog trainer DAN GRIFFITH told KELO-TV, hunting dogs aren’t well-trained until they’re 3 or 4 years old. So we still can’t help but wonder whether Cricket deserved a new leash on life.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY

At the White House

President JOE BIDEN has nothing on his public schedule.

VP KAMALA HARRIS scrapped plans to travel to Las Vegas today and instead will stay in D.C., with nothing on her public schedule.

PLAYBOOK READS

Rep. Henry Cuellar attends a House Appropriations Committee markup.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) is facing serious corruption charges, but he denies all wrongdoing. | Franics Chung/POLITICO

9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US

1. INSIDE THE INDICTMENT: Rep. HENRY CUELLAR (D-Texas) and wife IMELDA stand accused by federal prosecutors of taking $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani state-controlled oil company and a Mexican bank in exchange for manipulating U.S. policy, along with other crimes, NBC’s Ryan Nobles, Rebecca Kaplan, Ken Dilanian and Scott Wong detail. The charges also include money laundering, wire fraud and acting as a foreign agent. DOJ alleges that the Cuellars took the bribes over several years. Cuellar, who used to co-chair the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, allegedly promised to steer pro-Azerbaijani legislation and to fight regulations/investigations that could harm the bank.

Cuellar denies all wrongdoing and says he’s still running for reelection. But as Daniella Diaz and Nick Wu detailed in yesterday’s Inside Congress newsletter, the charges will make his Rio Grande Valley seat competitive after Republicans seemed to write it off. Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-Minn.) last night became the first Hill Democrat to call for his resignation. And Sabato’s Crystal Ball is shifting its rating of the race to only leaning Democratic.

2. BIG MOVE: “Biden expands health insurance access for DACA immigrants,” by Reuters’ Ted Hesson: “With the move, an estimated 100,000 previously uninsured participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, are expected to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace and the Basic Health Program, both created under the Affordable Care Act.”

3. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: As cease-fire negotiations reach a pivotal moment in the Israel-Hamas war, CIA Director WILLIAM BURNS is in Egypt for talks, and Hamas leader YAHYA SINWAR offered some positive comments (with exceptions), per WSJ’s Summer Said, Carrie Keller-Lynn and Adam Chamseddine. But one big sticking point continues to be Hamas’ insistence on a plan for a full end to the war and Israel’s refusal to commit to more than a pause. The U.S. could ramp up pressure on Qatar to threaten to expel Hamas from the country if the militant group doesn’t accept the latest offer, The Times of Israel’s Jacob Magid reports.

The alternative to a deal, of course, is a major Israeli ground invasion of Rafah. To wit, Israel has now presented plans to the U.S. for an evacuation of civilians from the city to al-Mawasi before a major offensive, though it’s not definitive, Erin Banco, Matt Berg and Lara Seligman scooped.

More in the region: “U.S. Shuffles Military Assets in Middle East After Gulf Pushback,” WSJ … “State Dept. notifies Congress of 4 Israeli units to keep receiving US aid,” Al-Monitor

The campus angle … Though pro-Palestinians protests continued yesterday at some universities, a combination of police force and deals with administrators overall produced an “edgy calm,” WaPo’s Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Laura Meckler, Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff and Justin Jouvenal report. Meanwhile, Jennifer Haberkorn and Jonathan Lemire report that the violence at UCLA was what triggered Biden to deliver remarks on the protests Thursday.

4. BATTLE FOR THE BALLOT: “Trump campaign sues Nevada for accepting mail ballots that trickle in after Election Day,” by The Nevada Independent’s Tabitha Mueller: “The lawsuit alleges that the four-day period for mail ballots [postmarked by Election Day] to be received violates federal law because it does not conform to the Election Day deadline established by the federal government.”

5. SPOILER ALERT: With No Labels out of the way, Democratic groups are mobilizing to start really attacking ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., Elena Schneider reports. From American Bridge trackers to DNC billboards, the efforts have started to ramp up, with the main focus on research and legal challenges. Now some Biden allies are discussing going bigger with a negative ad campaign, which would probably be led by Future Forward, Clear Choice and American Bridge. Third Way’s MATT BENNETT says the push needs to be targeted to educate persuadable voters about Kennedy’s conspiratorial views in the states where he’ll appear on the ballot.

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6. STATE OF PLAY: “Republicans pummel State Department with investigations,” by Nahal Toosi: “House Republicans have launched more than 30 investigations into the State Department since taking power in 2023, an unusually high number that is fueling partisan tensions, a POLITICO review of records and other information has found. … Democratic lawmakers and State Department officials say this particular chapter of the growing partisan rancor on Capitol Hill is affecting U.S. foreign policy: It distracts U.S. diplomats from their jobs.”

7. TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE: The U.S. is leading efforts with the G7 to get Ukraine $50 billion in aid from the seizure of frozen Russian assets, Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs, Alberto Nardelli and Viktoria Dendrinou report. The Biden administration wants to get an agreement by the next meeting in June, but they have to overcome some European skepticism first. “The US push essentially boils down to finding a way to provide Ukraine with the largest possible support quickly rather than in smaller amounts.”

At the same time, the U.S. is growing more concerned about the potential for Russia to put a nuclear weapon in space, NYT’s Julian Barnes and David Sanger report. The State Department said they “have obtained information that undermines Moscow’s explanation that the device it is developing is for peaceful scientific purposes.”

8. THE NEW NORMAL: “Politics Without Trump? His Youngest Fans Barely Remember It,” by NYT’s Charles Homans: “Trump’s victory, to supporters and detractors alike, represented a profound break with politics as usual in the United States. … [Biden’s appeals about Trump’s norm-breaking] may carry less weight with voters who were in middle school at the time of Mr. Trump’s election. … For some first-time voters, this has made Mr. Trump more of an afterthought in the evolution of their politics than a defining figure.”

9. THE ABORTION ELECTION: Biden is launching a new ad campaign aimed at getting Latino men motivated to vote based on abortion rights, Reuters’ Trevor Hunnicutt scooped. It’ll start with more than $1 million to air the spot in Hispanic media, in both English and Spanish. Meanwhile, Missouri could be the latest state to put abortion rights to a voter referendum, as the coalition organizing the campaign submitted their signatures to get on the ballot yesterday, The Kansas City Star’s Kacen Bayless reports.

CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 16 funnies

A political cartoon is pictured on dogs lining up to pee on a Kristi Noem sign.

Clay Bennett - Chattanooga Times Free Press

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Ryan Lizza:

— “The Far Right’s Campaign to Explode the Population,” by Gaby Del Valle in POLITICO Magazine: “Behind the scenes at the first Natal Conference, where a motley alliance is throwing out the idea of winning converts to their cause and trying to make their own instead.”

— “The Vatican’s Secret Role in the Science of IVF,” by Vanity Fair’s Keziah Weir: “More than half a century ago, men of science and men of faith gathered together to unlock the mysteries of female fertility. The answer: urine from the brides of Christ. And lo, those nuns gaveth.”

— “How Balkan gangsters became Europe’s top cocaine suppliers,” by Reuters’ Gabriel Stargardter in Rio de Janeiro: “Balkan traffickers have mastered the logistics of smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe, authorities say. On land and sea, police are scrambling to keep pace.”

— “Feds say he masterminded an epic California water heist. Some farmers say he’s their Robin Hood,” by the L.A. Times’ Jessica Garrison in Los Banos

— “Slippery Slope,” by Nick Bowlin in Harper’s: “How private equity shapes a ski town.”

— “‘I Will Never Forget Any of It’: Brittney Griner Is Ready to Talk,” by the NYT Magazine’s J Wortham in Phoenix: “In an interview, the basketball star reveals her humiliation — and friendships — in Russian prison, and her path to recovery.”

— “What If He Actually Did It?” by Amanda Knox in The Atlantic: “I argued that Jens Söring was wrongfully convicted of a double murder, and in 2019, he was released on parole after three decades in prison. Then I started having doubts about the case.”

PLAYBOOKERS

Warren Buffett could be pivotal for Omaha’s key Electoral College vote.

Bernie Moreno’s Aston Martin Vulcan is raising some questions.

Leo Bozell could be facing 12 years in prison, if prosecutors get their way.

Mark Hamill was at the White House.

OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Kitchen + Kocktails celebrating the life of Medgar Evers as he posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom: Reena Evers-Everette, Joy Reid, Karen Finney, Chris Fleming, Beth Van Schaack, Shannon Estenoz, Timla Washington, Tina Flournoy, Hilary Shelton and Paula Young Shelton, Ryan Rudominer, Paul Neaville, Eliana West, Danielle Evers-Everette, Noel Didla, Ron Goines, Denise Anderson, Alveno Castilla and Clayola Brown.

MEDIA MOVE — Lisa Gibbs will be the next CEO and president of the Pulitzer Center. She currently is VP for philanthropic development at the AP.

TRANSITIONS — Michael Grider is launching his own consultancy based in Tennessee. He most recently has been chief of staff for Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). … Brian Dusek is joining Marathon Strategies as a senior comms associate. He most recently was press secretary for Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Becca Balint (D-Vt.) and Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) … George Will … Reuters’ Ted Hesson … National Association of Manufacturers’ Jay Timmons … Mitchell Rivard of Rep. Dan Kildee’s (D-Mich.) office … Eliot Nelson … Kelly Love … State’s Shana Mansbach … Allison Bormel … Todd Stern of Brookings … CNN’s Polson Kanneth … Ellen Qualls … Cyrus Pearson of the Senate Republican Conference … Erin Mershon … former Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) … Andy Karellas … Katie Bartizal … former Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii) … Black Rock Group’s Charlotte McCoy … WaPo’s Kathy O’Hearn … Jason Kander … Kristin Engdahl Zipay … NBC’s Megan Stackhouse … Ansley Braden Boylan … POLITICO’s Abigail Henderson … Michael DiRoma … NRSC’s Allie Berding … Mike DuHaime … Nandi Perry of Gen-Z for Change

THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here):

CBS “Face the Nation”: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem … Queen Rania of Jordan … Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).

NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) … Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) … Cindy McCain. Panel: Maria Teresa Kumar, Sara Fagen and Vaughn Hillyard.

CNN “State of the Union”: Mitch Landrieu … North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum … Ben Sasse. Panel: Marc Lotter, Jonah Goldberg, Kate Bedingfield and Ashley Allison.

FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) … Virginia AG Jason Miyares … Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.). Panel: Katie Pavlich, Marie Harf, Horace Cooper and Jeff Mason. Sunday special: Susan Page.

ABC “This Week”: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) … NYC Mayor Eric Adams … FTC Chair Lina Khan. Panel: Alyssa Farah Griffin, Asma Khalid, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and David Ignatius.

Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) … RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump … John Ratcliffe … Ray Kelly.

MSNBC “The Weekend”: Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) … Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) … Alexis McGill Johnson … Ali Velshi.

NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Mitch Daniels … Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) … Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.). Panel: Sabrina Siddiqui, David Swerdlick, Robert Doar and Domenico Montanaro.

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