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

Donald Trump's longtime aide Hope Hicks broke down on the stand as her cross-examination was about to begin.

Hicks began crying after the prosecution's direct examination concluded.

Defense attorney Emil Bove had only just started his cross examination. "I want to talk to you about your time at the Trump Organization," Bove said before he asked for a break.

Hicks was visibly crying, looking down on the witness stand and dabbing her eyes as the jury was sent out of the room.

In her last set of responses on direct examination, she recalled a time in 2018 talking to Donald Trump about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. She testified that Trump told her Cohen made the payment on his own.

But Hicks testified she felt that would be out of character for Cohen.

"I didn't know Michael to be an especially charitable person, or selfless person," Hicks said. "(He was) the kind of person who seeks credit."

Hicks then said Trump expressed that "It would have been bad to have that story come out before the election."

Hicks left the courtroom after she broke down, and jurors were excused during the break.

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.