Hope Hicks has announced that she is resigning from her post as Communications Director for the White House. In the announcement, she said that she plans to leave the White House in the coming weeks. She did not say what her next job would be.
Hicks, 29, is one of President Trump’s longest-serving advisers. She is a former model who worked for the Trump Organization before joining Mr. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign without any experience in politics. She was Trump’s campaign press secretary in 2015, joined the White House as director of strategic communications in January 2017, and was promoted to White House communications director last August.
Hicks has been one of President Trump’s most protective advisors and fierce family loyalists. She is known to be one of the few aides who understood his personality and style. Her job made her one of the most powerful people in Washington while she maintained one of the lowest public profiles of anyone to ever hold the job.
President Trump released a statement saying, “Hope is outstanding and has done great work for the last three years. She is as smart and thoughtful as they come, a truly great person. I will miss having her by my side, but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood.” John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, said, “She has served her country with great distinction. To say that she will be missed is an understatement.”
The resignation announcement came one day after she testified before the House Intelligence Committee for eight hours. During her testimony, she admitted that occasionally telling “white lies” is part of her job. She then clarified that she had never lied about anything connected to the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
The House Intelligence Committee is one of three congressional panels investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign. Reports have emerged that she refused to answer key questions from the House Intelligence Committee at the closed-door session. She has also had to deal with the White House response to spousal abuse allegations against staff secretary Rob Porter, whom Hicks reportedly had been dating.
Hicks is the fourth communications director to leave the Trump White House in 13 months. One of her predecessors, former hedge fund manager Anthony Scaramucci, lasted only 10 days in the post. Another predecessor was Sean Spicer, who was much maligned as he served two brief stints in the volatile job.
