Trump trial: Hope Hicks faces her ex-boss on 'Access Hollywood' tape, Daniels payment

Longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks said that she never spoke to National Enquirer publisher David Pecker about Karen McDougal in March 2018, appearing to contradict Pecker's testimony last week.

Last week, Pecker testified that he spoke to Hicks and Sarah Huckabee Sanders about extending McDougal's contract in March 2018.

"I explained to them, to the two of them, that -- why I was going to extend her agreement. And both of them said that they thought that it was a good idea," Pecker said.

But asked about the same timeframe, Hicks denied ever calling Pecker.

"I have no recollection of speaking to Mr. Pecker after that interview," Hicks said, referencing McDougal's CNN interview at the time. "I did not speak to Mr. Pecker. I did speak to Mr. Trump."

Prosecutors introduced a text message where Trump's executive assistant asked Hicks to call Pecker for Trump, but Hicks could not recall a phone call with Pecker.

When the November 2016 Wall Street Journal story about AMI's hush payment to Karen McDougal was published, Trump grew concerned with how his wife, Melania, would feel about it -- so he made a request of longtime aide Hope Hicks, according to Hicks' testimony.

"He was concerned about the story," Hicks said on the stand. "He was concerned how it would be viewed by his wife and he wanted me to make sure the newspapers weren't delivered to their residence that morning."

Longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks said that she exchanged a series of text messages with Michael Cohen after the November 2016 Wall Street Journal story on the Karen McDougal agreement was published.

"Michael asked me to call him, Michael asked me for updates," Hicks said.

"'Lots of innuendos with little fact,'" Cohen wrote to Hicks the night the story was published. "'Poorly written and I doubt see it getting much play." Hicks said "doubt" was a typo and it should have read "don't."

In ensuing text messages, Cohen and Hicks said they had not noticed substantial interest in other media outlets.

"I told him to 'keep praying,' because this was obviously the only reason why there were six stories," Hicks said with a laugh.

Donald Trump's longtime aide Hope Hicks returned to the stand following the lunch break for her ongoing direct examination.

Discussing her response after the Wall Street Journal told them it was about to break the story that National Enquirer parent AMI had paid Karen McDougal to buy her silence about a long-denied affair with Trump. Hicks said she ultimately provided a statement to the Journal that said the allegations were "totally untrue."

"The denial was from Mr. Trump for both women," Hicks testified, referring to both McDougal and Stormy Daniels, who was also mentioned in the Journal story. "I know very clearly that he stated the denials and wanted those included."

Hicks' statement to the Journal said she had no knowledge of the agreement between AMI and McDougal.

When prosecutors pressed Hicks on that portion of the statement, Hicks could not recall if Trump explicitly directed that statement to deny knowledge of the arrangement.

"I don't remember him verbatim saying that, but that was the consensus of the conversations we were all having," Hicks said.