Hope Hicks has a whole new problem
The thing about Donald Trump’s scandals is they always end up being even more corrupt, wide-ranging, and deranged than anyone was expecting when the news first broke. For instance we thought it was terrible that Michael Cohen illegally paid off Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about Trump during the election. Then the SDNY let us know that Trump specifically instructed Cohen to do it. Today the SDNY let us know that Hope Hicks was also deeply involved in it.
To be clear, this is a criminal conspiracy, and not just an ugly scandal. Michael Cohen is currently in prison for, among other things, having followed Donald Trump’s instruction to make this payoff. Trump committed felony conspiracy when he gave Cohen that instruction, and the only reason he’s not being charged today is that Trump’s DOJ won’t allow it. According to what’s laid out in the SDNY filing, Hope Hicks also committed felony conspiracy. And while she’s getting away with it today, she’s now earmarked for prison.
Now that the Feds at the SDNY have shown their cards, we don’t know if the State of New York will bring felony charges against Hope Hicks. We know that New York waited until shortly after the Feds were done with Paul Manafort, and then unsealed an indictment against him that it had been sitting on. For all we know, New York may have already indicted everyone involved in the Cohen payoff, and is just waiting for the right moment. That’s before getting to the part where the SDNY will likely bring federal charges against Trump, Hicks, and everyone else involved, the minute Trump is no longer in office.
In other words, Hope Hicks is now earmarked for prison, on charges including felony conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury. That’s a long prison sentence. Even if Donald Trump decides to pardon her on the federal charges, the state charges will get her. It’s a matter of when, not if. The only way out for Hicks would be to cut a comprehensive plea deal against Donald Trump. Short of that, her arrest is coming sooner or later.
