White House Communications Director Hope Hicks Resigns
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP) - White House Communications Director Hope Hicks announced she was stepping down on Wednesday.
It wasn't immediately clear when Hicks' resignation would take effect.
"There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump," Hicks said in a statement. "I wish the president and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country."
The news comes a day after Hicks, 29, was interviewed for nine hours by the panel investigating Russia interference in the 2016 election and contact between Trump's campaign and Russia.
She acknowledged to a House intelligence panel that she has occasionally told "white lies" for Trump. But she said she had not lied about anything relevant to the Russia investigation.
Hicks served as Trump's one-woman communications shop during his winning campaign and has remained one of his most trusted aides. She entered the campaign with no real political experience and became one of Trump's most trusted aides.
"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," Trump said in a statement. "I will miss having her by my side but when she approved me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood. I am sure we will work together again in the future."
The media-shy Hicks was thrust into the spotlight last month after allegations arose that then-White House staff secretary Rob Porter had abused his ex-wives. Hicks, at the time, was dating Porter, and was involved in crafting an initial statement defending him. But as photos of the alleged abuse emerged, scrutiny on Hicks and White House chief of staff John Kelly intensified, and Porter resigned.
Three other White House communications directors have left the post in about a year: Sean Spicer, Anthony Scaramucci and Michael Dubke.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
