Former Trump adviser Hope Hicks concludes closed-door testimony after offering few answers

Former top Trump adviser Hope Hicks refused to answer questions Wednesday related to her time in the White House in an interview with the House of Representatives judiciary committee, dimming Democrats' chances of obtaining new or substantive information about U.S. President Donald Trump as part of their investigation into obstruction of justice.

Hicks was the first person linked to Trump's inner circle to testify since the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, as the White House has broadly stonewalled their investigations.

But less than an hour into the eight-hour interview, frustrated Democrats taking breaks from the meeting said Hicks and her lawyer were following White House orders to stay quiet about her time there working for Trump. She was answering some questions about her time on Trump's campaign, the lawmakers said.

"She's objecting to stuff that's already in the public record," said California Democrat Karen Bass. "It's pretty ridiculous."

Democrat Pramila Jayapal of Washington called her answers "a farce." California's Ted Lieu tweeted about the interview, writing that Hicks refused to answer even innocuous questions such as whether she had previously testified before Congress.

Republicans had a different perspective, saying Hicks was co-operative and that the interview was a waste of time. The top Republican on the panel, Georgia's Doug Collins, said they were "simply talking about things that are already out there in public or getting the same answers over and over."

Dispute over claim to immunity

Democrat Jerry Nadler, the committee chair, said Hicks's lawyers had asserted the White House's principle that as one of Trump's close advisers she is "absolutely immune" from talking about her time there because of separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. Nadler said that principle is "ridiculous" and Democrats intend to "destroy" it in court.

Outside the interview, Nadler said the committee plans to take the administration to court on the immunity issue, and Hicks's interview would be part of the litigation.

In a letter Tuesday to Nadler, White House counsel Pat Cipollone wrote that Trump had directed Hicks not to answer questions "relating to the time of her service as a senior adviser to the president." The White House has similarly cited broad executive privilege with respect to many of the Democrats' investigative demands, using the president's power to withhold information to protect the confidentiality of the Oval Office decision-making process.

Jayapal said that at one point Hicks started to answer a question, and the lawyers jumped in and said "we're starting executive."

"Basically, she can say her name," Jayapal said.

Hicks was a key witness for Mueller, delivering important information to the special counsel's office about multiple episodes involving the president. Mueller wrote in his 448-page report released in April that there was not enough evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia, but he said he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. The report examined several situations in which Trump attempted to influence or curtail Mueller's investigation.

'Extreme presidential harassment': Trump

Democratic aides said they planned to ask Hicks about several of those episodes, including efforts to remove Mueller from the investigation and to pressure former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to not recuse himself from the inquiry and the firing of FBI director James Comey.

The aides spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss their plans for the closed-door meeting.

The aides said that lawmakers also planned to ask about Hicks's knowledge of hush-money payments orchestrated by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump — the porn actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal. Trump has denied the allegations. Cohen is now serving three years in prison partly for campaign violations related to the payments.

One lawmaker who was in the room said they had asked about some, not all, of those matters by a lunchtime break, and that she would not answer many of those questions. The person said Hicks was answering questions about the campaign, and that lawmakers were asking about Trump's ties to Russia. The person requested anonymity to discuss the closed-door interview.

As Hicks spoke to the lawmakers, Trump tweeted throughout the day. He said the interview was "extreme Presidential Harassment," and wrote that Democrats "are very unhappy with the Mueller Report, so after almost 3 years, they want a Redo, or Do Over."

Testimony from witnesses such as Hicks is one step in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's methodical approach to investigating Trump. More than 60 lawmakers in her caucus — including around a dozen on the judiciary committee — have called for opening an impeachment inquiry, but she has said she wants committees to investigate first and come to a decision on impeachment later.

While Trump has continued to block their requests, Democrats have made some minor gains in recent weeks with Hicks's appearance and the Justice Department's agreeing to make some underlying evidence from Mueller's report available to committee members.

Other Trump associates mum

The judiciary panel wanted a higher-profile interview with Hicks, subpoenaing her for public testimony. But they agreed to the private interview after negotiations.

A transcript of the session will be released in the days afterward.

The committee has also subpoenaed Hicks for documents, but she has only partially complied. She agreed to provide some information from her work on Trump's campaign, but none from her time at the White House because of the administration's objections.

The Democrats plan to use some of Hicks's answers to inform a committee hearing with experts to review Mueller's report on Thursday.

Other Trump associates frequently mentioned in Mueller's report have refused to appear before the committee, including former White House counsel Donald McGahn. McGahn's former chief of staff, Annie Donaldson, was also subpoenaed for documents and an interview and has declined to provide the documents, like Hicks and McGahn. It is unclear whether Donaldson will show up for a scheduled deposition next week.