Hope Hicks testifies on Mueller probe – live updates

Former White House communications director Hope Hicks is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday in a closed-door hearing, and so far she is not talking about anything that took place during her tenure at the White House. 

When Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, walked out of the hearing, he told reporters, “I’m watching obstruction of justice in action.”

“The White House lawyers are exerting ‘absolute immunity,’ which is not a thing, it doesn’t exist…about anything pertaining to her time in the White House,” Lieu complained. He said that Hicks would not answer a question “as simple as, ‘where was your office located?’ ‘Objection.’ It’s ridiculous,” Lieu said. There’s no such thing as absolute immunity.” 

Hicks was instructed by the president not to answer any questions on the period of time when she was working for the White House. She was, however, allowed speak about her time on the Trump campaign. Lieu confirmed that she was answering questions about that period of time.

The White House planned to have a lawyer present during the hearing to assert executive privilege on some of the information Democrats are expected to press Hicks to divulge, a Democratic aide said. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone maintained to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, Democrat of New York, that Hicks is immune from testifying about her time as senior White House adviser.

Democrats on the committee wanted to press Hicks on the hush money payments President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and key moments during the Russia investigation, a Democratic committee aide told CBS News. 

Lawmakers also wanted to ask Hicks about former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s ouster, the president’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, his efforts to thwart special counsel Robert Mueller’s nearly two-year investigation and a meeting at Trump Tower in the summer of 2016 that included Mr. Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., top campaign officials and a Russian lawyer Trump Jr. thought had damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

Hicks left the White House in March 2018. Before her roles as director of communications and strategic communications, she was the national press secretary for Mr. Trump’s presidential transition team and his top spokeswoman during the 2016 campaign. 

Earlier this month, Cipollone directed Hicks not to hand over documents to the committee related to her time in the White House in response to a subpoena from the Judiciary Committee. She did turn over some documents from her time with the Trump campaign.

Nancy Cordes contributed to this report.