Hope Hicks Crying in Court Is 'Brutally Damaging' for Trump: George Conway

Hope Hicks, a former aide to Donald Trump, crying in court is "brutally damaging" for the ex-President in his Manhattan trial, lawyer George Conway says.

Following an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, Trump, who is the presumed GOP presidential nominee, was indicted in March 2023 on 34 charges of allegedly falsifying business records relating to hush money payments that were made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Daniels alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which he has denied. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges and said the case against him is politically motivated.

Hicks, who served on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign communications team, testified in court on Friday after being subpoenaed.

Hicks started as an employee for the Trump Organization in 2014 before transitioning onto Trump's campaign team. Hicks then served in various roles in the Trump administration including White House communications director and counselor to the president.

Shortly after Trump's attorney Emil Bove began cross-examining Hicks, she broke down into tears.

Newsweek's Katherine Fung, who was in the courtroom, posted on X, formerly Twitter, "Bove takes the podium for cross-examination. He begins by asking Hicks about her role at the Trump Org but before he can get anywhere, she breaks down into tears on the stand."

Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, then called for a recess. A few minutes later, Bove continued with the cross-examination.

While it is unclear why exactly Hicks cried on the stand, Joyce Vance, a former federal prosecutor for the Obama administration and legal analyst, wrote on X on Friday: "Witnesses cry or get emotional on the stand for a lot of different reasons. But here, given Hope Hick's relationship with Trump, it suggests that because she's under oath, she's had to reveal facts she'd rather have left unsaid & she's concerned she's damaged Trump."

Conway, who is a frequent Trump critic, responded to Vance's post, writing, "A witness's demeanor while testifying is evidence. Hope Hicks's demeanor—her obvious emotional distress—provides brutally damaging evidence against Trump."

Conway's estranged wife Kellyanne Conway was Trump's 2016 campaign manager and served as Trump's senior counselor in the White House.

During Hicks' testimony, she continued to stay loyal to Trump, making flattering statements like: "I was only on one campaign but it was a great one."

After Hicks was excused, she kept her head down as she walked past Trump, who looked up at her from the defense table, according to Fung.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.