Former White House communications director Hope Hicks was among those in President Donald Trump's inner circle interviewed by federal prosecutors in the hush money investigation.
Hicks, who worked also worked on Trump's campaign and transition, left the White House 2018, is currently the chief communications officer at the Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News.
"The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office has gathered more evidence than previously known in its criminal investigation of hush payments to two women who alleged affairs with Donald Trump, including from members of the president’s inner circle," The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday evening. "Prosecutors interviewed Hope Hicks, a former close aide to Mr. Trump and White House communications director, last spring as part of their campaign-finance probe, which ultimately implicated the president in federal crimes."
"They also spoke to Keith Schiller, Mr. Trump’s former security chief. Investigators learned of calls between Mr. Schiller and David Pecker, chief executive of the National Enquirer’s publisher, which has admitted it paid $150,000 to a former Playboy model on Mr. Trump’s behalf to keep her story under wraps," The Journal reported.
The report was based on 20 interviews and almost 1,000 pages of court documents.
"Prosecutors in December implicated the president in the campaign-finance crimes, identifying him as the 'Individual-1' who directed and coordinated the payments to the two women. Mr. Cohen is scheduled to begin a three-year prison sentence next month for lying to a bank, lying to Congress, tax evasion and campaign-finance violations," The Journal reported.
The investigation is being led by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.
Read the full report.