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Hope Hicks Testifies Before House Intel Committee After Long Delay

Hicks was reportedly unwilling at first to talk about the presidential transition process.
Posted at 10:51 PM, Feb 27, 2018

White House Communications Director Hope Hicks spent nine hours testifying before the House intelligence committee, but the panel didn't get all the answers it wanted.

Hicks initially refused to answer questions about her time in the White House. Then she was reportedly reminded of a previous interview with the committee in which she talked about the presidential transition. After that, she answered "some" questions about the transition process. 

We've seen this strategy before; the top Democrat on the panel called it "executive stonewalling." Another said the panel had been "Bannoned."

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon reportedly gave very few answers during his January testimony, even after the committee issued him a subpoena on the spot to compel him to talk. That's because the White House reportedly ordered Bannon not to talk about his time working on the Trump transition team and in the West Wing.

Hicks was scheduled to testify before the House committee earlier this year, but the interview was delayed to give members a chance to work with the White House in hopes of achieving a more transparent testimony from Hicks.

The House intelligence committee is one of multiple congressional panels investigating Russian meddling and potential links to the Trump team.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.