Hope Hicks dealt "devastating blow" to Donald Trump—Legal analyst

During Hicks' testimony, which saw her crying at one point, she described how Trump's team was "concerned" about how the infamous Access Hollywood tape would damage his 2016 election chances.

"Hicks provided a gripping account of the impact of the infamous 'Access Hollywood' tape on Trump's campaign, which in turn sets up the so-called hush money payments to Stormy Daniels - who has alleged she had an affair with the former president - that is at the center of the charges in this case...Hicks explained that the impact of the tape's release was devastating in and outside the campaign," Eisen wrote.

Eisen wrote that the "devastating blow" came at the end of Hicks' testimony when she revealed the former president knew his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, who is also set to testify in the case, had paid Daniels to "protect him from a false allegation" and out of the "kindness of his own heart."

Hicks also testified that Trump "was concerned about the story" and how it'd "be viewed by his wife [Melania]."

"Another devastating blow came at the very end of Hicks' direct testimony when she revealed a stunning trifecta: that, while president, Trump had admitted to her that he knew his then-fixer Michael Cohen had paid Daniels, that Trump attempted to blame Cohen and that Hicks did not believe him," Eisen added in his opinion piece. "She also stated that Trump felt it was better to be dealing with it after the election than beforehand. She appeared so distraught—presumably about throwing her former boss under the bus—that she then began crying."

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

Eisen's comments come after Joey Jackson, a former New York state prosecutor and a legal analyst, previously told Newsweek that Hicks' testimony showed that the Trump campaign was "fully aware of how incredibly damaging" the Access Hollywood tape would be to his election prospects, which may "bolster" the prosecution's arguments in relation to the Daniels hush money.

"Hicks' testimony also portrayed Trump as a very hands-on boss. Taken together, these takeaways would bolster the prosecution's argument that Trump's team would know how imperative it was to cover up another potential scandal, and Trump would be involved in making that happen," Jackson said.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})