{"id":58511,"date":"2018-02-10T05:25:50","date_gmt":"2018-02-10T05:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=58511"},"modified":"2018-02-10T05:25:50","modified_gmt":"2018-02-10T05:25:50","slug":"as-other-aides-face-trumps-ire-over-rob-porters-departure-hope-hicks-is-praised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/as-other-aides-face-trumps-ire-over-rob-porters-departure-hope-hicks-is-praised.html","title":{"rendered":"As Other Aides Face Trump’s Ire Over Rob Porter’s Departure, Hope Hicks Is Praised"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Other Aides Face Trump\u2019s Ire Over Rob Porter\u2019s Departure, Hope Hicks Is Praised<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

In a White House populated by aides who have flamed out, lashed out or cashed out \u2014 some do all three in the same day \u2014 Hope Hicks, the administration\u2019s communications director, has maintained a low profile as an influential adviser of a mercurial president who prizes her loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Friday, President Trump publicly returned the favor.<\/span><\/p>\n

A day after the departure of Rob Porter, a White House aide who resigned amid domestic abuse accusations, the president dismissed an idea circulated by some aides and allies that he had been unhappy with Ms. Hicks\u2019 role in workshopping an initial forceful defense of Mr. Porter. Ms. Hicks had been dating Mr. Porter until recently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHope is absolutely fantastic,\u201d Mr. Trump said in a statement released through a spokesman. \u201cShe was with the campaign from the beginning, and I could not ask for anything more. Hope is smart, very talented and respected by all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Hicks did not know about the specific allegations made against Mr. Porter until Tuesday, according to a White House official. That day, she met with other White House officials in drafting the initial statements sent in Mr. Porter\u2019s defense, according to two West Wing officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rumblings began about the president\u2019s unhappiness with a haphazard situation handled without his knowledge, and Mr. Trump spent Thursday working the phones, referring to Mr. Porter in one call as \u201cbad garbage\u201d and saying that he questioned Ms. Hicks\u2019s judgment, according to two advisers.<\/span><\/p>\n

But while questions continue to swirl about whether Mr. Kelly will survive the scandal \u2014 he offered to resign on Friday \u2014 in Ms. Hicks\u2019 case the West Wing trotted out a host of senior officials to defend her. On Friday the lineup included Ivanka Trump, the president\u2019s daughter and senior adviser, and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have been impressed with Hope since I started working with her on the campaign,\u201d Mr. Mnuchin said in a statement that was volunteered by an aide. \u201cShe is exceptionally talented in leading communications for the administration. I view her as an invaluable asset to the president and us all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Trump, who hired Ms. Hicks several years ago to work for her company before Ms. Hicks was tapped to serve on the Trump campaign in 2015, said Ms. Hicks was a \u201cteam player\u201d who\u2019d earned the president\u2019s confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost importantly,\u201d Ms. Trump said in an unsolicited interview, \u201cthe president has deep respect for her, cares about her greatly, and listens to her. That\u2019s not true of everyone. She\u2019s earned that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Hicks, a 29-year-old former model, brought an aggressive, corporate-world training to the world of politics. With a background in defending the client against all threats \u2014 and, if necessary, all odds \u2014 she earned Mr. Trump\u2019s trust during the campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bond grew as Mr. Trump ascended to the White House and was suddenly surrounded by a sea of unfamiliar faces. Ms. Hicks has been a constant at his side on trips and photo opportunities, and keeps as close an eye as possible on Mr. Trump\u2019s interviews with journalists.<\/span><\/p>\n

In their years together, Ms. Hicks has helped write pugilistic statements on Mr. Trump\u2019s behalf, including one that delivered a blow to Stephen K. Bannon, the president\u2019s former chief strategist: \u201cSteve pretends to be at war with the media, which he calls the opposition party, yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was,\u201d that statement read.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the campaign, Ms. Hicks also stepped forward to defend Corey Lewandowski, Mr. Trump\u2019s onetime campaign manager. She said Mr. Lewandowski had \u201cnothing to apologize for\u201d after he grabbed a reporter who later filed battery charges against him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the president always likes somebody who looks like they\u2019re out of central casting,\u201d Chris Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax Media and a friend of the president, said in an interview. \u201cBut he does want people to know what they\u2019re doing. He also puts a high value on loyalty. And she\u2019s been extremely loyal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For the last several months, Ms. Hicks and Mr. Porter have been seen around Washington, attending group dinners together. One person close to Ms. Hicks, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of loyalty to her, said Mr. Porter had made his way into the small circle of people she felt she could trust after several years in an often chaotic work environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Friday aides throughout the West Wing were still struggling to reconcile Mr. Porter\u2019s accused private behavior with the person they knew at work, according to a senior administration official.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in the Oval Office, Ms. Hicks was there as Mr. Trump offered praise and support for Mr. Porter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe absolutely wish him well,\u201d the president said, as Ms. Hicks stood nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/09\/us\/politics\/trump-hicks-porter.html<\/span><\/p>\n

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