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Press secretary Sarah Sanders is scheduled to address reporters on Thursday, stepping into a whirlwind of news about the White House's trade policy, gun control stance, security clearance revisions and high-level staff departures.

Unanswered questions piled up on Wednesday after Sanders canceled the press briefing at the last minute, instead inviting reporters to monitor a freewheeling discussion on gun control with President Donald Trump and a group of lawmakers an hour later.

Trump's close aide, Hope Hicks, on Wednesday announced plans to resign as White House communications director. Hicks, who had worked with Trump since before he announced his candidacy for president, became entangled in a number of scandals that thrust her into the national spotlight she had long avoided.

Earlier this week, Hicks reportedly told House Intelligence Committee members in closed testimony that she had to tell "white lies" as part of her job in the White House — an admission that incensed the president, multiple outlets reported.

Though the New York Times said Hicks' hearing did not affect her decision to resign, the testimony added additional baggage to the top-level staffer, who had been weighed down for weeks by her role in the ouster of former staff secretary Rob Porter.

Porter resigned in February after UK tabloid The Daily Mail published allegations of physical abuse from his former wives. An assistant to Chief of Staff John Kelly, Porter reviewed all documents before they passed Trump's Oval Office desk, and had been operating under a temporary security clearance for more than a year.

The White House said Porter's permanent clearance to view top-secret information was withheld pending a never-completed internal investigation. The FBI, however, said it sent a completed report on Porter to the White House in July, and followed up on the report in November per a White House request.

Hicks had reportedly begun dating Porter shortly before the accusations surfaced, and CNN reported she may have helped draft his initial statement denying the allegations.

As one of Trump's most loyal allies prepares to depart the White House, the president launched another salvo against his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions. In a tweet, he called Sessions' decision to hand his Obama-appointed inspector general control in reviewing potential FBI surveillance abuses "disgraceful."

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Trump has reportedly taken to calling Sessions "Mr. Magoo," a reference to the elderly, myopic and oblivious cartoon character. Trump and Sessions are both 71 years old.

During the Wednesday meeting on school safety and gun control, Trump listened to a bevy of proposals from a bipartisan group of 17 senators and U.S. representatives. He signaled a desire to pass a comprehensive gun control bill, and posited to his vice president that potentially dangerous people should have their weapons confiscated before law enforcement officers obtain warrants. He also reinforced his position on arming "firearms adept" teachers with guns as a deterrent to mass shooters.

On Thursday, Trump imposed heavy tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports, after the White House vacillated on whether or not the announcement would actually be made.

During the previous briefing on Tuesday, the White House said it is "still hopeful that something happens" by next week on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from being deported. Trump previously set a deadline for Mar. 5, which appeared to fall out of reach after four separate immigration reform bills failed in the Senate on Feb. 15.</s>WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s longest-serving aides, is resigning from her job as White House communications director, White House spokesman Sarah Sanders said on Wednesday.

Sanders told reporters the timeline for Hicks’ departure was unclear. She said her departure was not related to her testimony to a congressional committee on Tuesday about a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.</s>The resignation comes one day after Hicks testified before the House intelligence committee for nine hours as part of the Russia investigation

Hope Hicks, the White House communications director and longtime aide to Donald Trump, has announced her resignation.



The White House confirmed news of Hicks’ departure on Wednesday, one day after Hicks testified before the House intelligence committee for nine hours as part of the panel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.



“There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump,” Hicks said in a statement. “I wish the President and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country.”



Hicks had served as the press secretary for Trump’s insurgent presidential campaign before taking on similar duties in the White House. She previously worked at the Trump Organization and went on to become Trump’s longest-serving political aide.

Trump's confidante Hope Hicks finds herself center stage in scandal Read more

“Hope is outstanding and has done great work for the last three years,” Trump said in a statement.



“She is as smart and thoughtful as they come, a truly great person. I will miss having her by my side but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood. I am sure we will work together again in the future.”

The White House said Hicks’ exact departure date had yet to be determined, but that she would leave in the coming weeks.



Hicks, 29, a former model, had no political experience when she joined Trump’s tumultuous campaign for the White House. She quickly rose as one of his closest confidantes, ranking among the few aides to develop an understanding of Trump’s brash persona and unpredictable temperament.



Hicks initially served as a press secretary within the White House, before taking on the role of communications director following a series of high-profile departures last year.

In that role, Hicks was tasked with bringing stability to Trump’s unruly press shop, which in its early stages was dominated by leaks and constant reports of infighting.

Although Hicks maintained an unusually low profile over the past three years, she recently attracted more scrutiny in her role, as special counsel Robert Mueller escalated his investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

Hicks’ proximity to the president, and presence on his campaign from its infancy, placed her in the spotlight as a potentially key witness to the FBI’s inquiry.

Questions loomed in particular over her role in crafting a highly misleading statement about the infamous June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

The White House at first said the meeting was to discuss adoptions, but it was later revealed that the meeting had been arranged when the Russians offered to provide Trump Jr with highly sensitive and incriminating information about Hillary Clinton.

Hicks allegedly promised that Trump Jr’s emails with the Russians “will never get out”. A lawyer for Hicks denied the claim. Trump Jr was forced to release the emails after reports uncovered the true nature of the meeting.

Hicks told congressional investigators on Tuesday she occasionally had to tell white lies to appease Trump, but denied having lied about substantive matters pertaining to Russia.

Hicks was also interviewed in December by the special counsel’s team, which has zeroed in both on the White House response to the 2016 Trump Tower meeting and Trump’s firing of the former FBI director James Comey.

Hicks also became engulfed in the scandal involving Rob Porter, who served as Trump’s staff secretary until he was forced to resign this month amid accusations of domestic violence by both of his ex-wives. Hicks had been dating Porter, but the two reportedly split following the controversy.

Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and aide, tweeted on Wednesday evening: “Hope Hicks is loved & admired by all who know her. It’s with a heavy heart, but tremendous gratitude, that I wish her well in her next steps.”</s>Image copyright AFP / Getty Images

Hope Hicks, one of President Trump's closest advisers, is to step down as White House communications director.

The announcement came a day after she testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee, but White House sources said this was not the reason.

Ms Hicks, 29, is reported to have told colleagues she was leaving because she felt she had achieved all she could. She has worked for Mr Trump for years.

She is the fourth person to serve as the president's communications chief.

On Tuesday, Ms Hicks gave a nine-hour testimony in front of the panel investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Ms Hicks is reported to have admitted to the panel that she had occasionally told what amounted to "white lies" for President Trump, but she denied lying about anything relevant to the investigation.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders - who described Ms Hicks as "in a league of her own" - said it remained unclear when she would leave the administration.

Ms Hicks is reported to have told colleagues she was leaving because she felt she had accomplished all she could in the White House.

Her departure will come as a major blow to Mr Trump, who said he would miss having her by his side. A former press secretary, she rose through the ranks to occupy the desk closest to the Oval Office.

Ms Hicks kept a low public profile but recently found herself part of a scandal when newspapers exposed that she was in a relationship with White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who had been accused of domestic violence against past partners.

When news of the allegations against Mr Porter broke last month, it was Ms Hicks who helped draft an initial White House statement defending him.

Mr Trump was reportedly not consulted and was unimpressed with her handling of the controversy.

Trump 'understood'

Ms Hicks became head of the White House communications team last August, after the abrupt firing of Anthony Scaramucci.

In a statement, Mr Trump said: "Hope is outstanding and has done great work for the last three years. She is as smart and thoughtful as they come, a truly great person.

"I will miss having her by my side but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood. I am sure we will work together again in the future."

Mr Scaramucci, speaking on Fox News, said: "She's one of the least malicious people I've ever met in my life. She's dedicated, she's charming, she's thoughtful, at the end of the day she's going to have an unbelievable career."

A former campaign official quoted by Politico magazine said Ms Hicks's departure left the White House without an expert "Trump translator".

"She knew what the president wanted and could explain it to the communications [team]," the official said.

Ms Hicks, Mr Scaramucci, Sean Spicer and Mike Dubke have all served in the role since January 2017.

The latest upheaval comes just after Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, had his White House security clearance downgraded.

On Tuesday night, the president also fired off a fierce tweet against Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Out of the White House but likely not the spotlight

Analysis by the BBC's Anthony Zurcher in Washington

Image copyright Mark Wallheiser

Hope Hicks had been there since the beginning; since before the beginning. When the Trump campaign was just a ragtag band of political neophytes, she was the one distributing press releases and answering media requests.

Where others had stumbled or been pushed out of Donald Trump's orbit, Hicks quietly persevered - and rode the train all the way to one of the most powerful White House jobs.

Now she too is gone. She lasted nearly as long as the preceding three White House communications directors combined, but the position continues to be cursed.

Administration sources insist that it was a planned exit, that she was simply waiting for the right time. It's hard, however, to imagine timing worse than this. It comes just a day after her eight hours of testimony before a congressional committee investigating possible Trump campaign ties to Russia, where she reportedly admitted to telling "white lies" in defence of the president.

Although she may be exiting the White House, it's unlikely she escapes the spotlight so easily. She had a ringside seat to many of the controversies that have swirled around the Trump campaign and presidency - and subsequent revelations could put her name in the headlines again.

Ms Hicks is seen as a key witness in the ongoing inquiry into whether the Trump team colluded with Russia.

During the nine-hour hearing on Tuesday, she reportedly stonewalled lawmakers about a 2016 meeting between members of the Trump campaign and a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee investigating alleged Russian meddling, said that she now needed to testify.

"She has no right to claim executive privilege. She has no claim to refuse to come before the judiciary committee now she's stepped down. She should be a witness before the judiciary committee," he said.

Who is Hope Hicks?

Image copyright EPA</s>First Donald Trump ignited the fury of conservatives by embracing gun control measures in his signature freewheeling style. Then came the resignation of his longest-serving political aide. By the next morning, the stock market was plunging in the wake of Trump’s unexpected policy announcement on trade.

While the US president is no stranger to chaos – it has been a hallmark of his year-long tenure – the last 24 hours brought turmoil to the White House that was exhausting, even by Trump’s standards.

The perfect storm has arrived as Trump seeks to broker a deal on gun control following the 14 February high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead. The president convened a meeting on Wednesday afternoon with a bipartisan group of senators, reminiscent of a similarly televised policy discussion he held on immigration.

But within hours, Trump had left lawmakers on Capitol Hill scrambling by backing comprehensive gun control measures long opposed by the National Rifle Association and congressional Republicans. The president signaled he would support universal background checks and new age restrictions on gun purchases; he even toyed with the idea of an assault weapons ban.

Lawmakers had been eyeing a narrow compromise on background checks. But Trump’s endorsement of more expansive reforms, however temporary, gave ammunition to Democrats to bolster their demands of the Republican-led Congress.

Back at the White House, the focus on policy was short-lived. Late Wednesday afternoon, the White House communications director, Hope Hicks, announced her resignation.

Hicks had testified the day before to congressional investigators on Russia that she occasionally had to tell white lies to appease her boss. While Hicks said she had long been mulling her exit, her decision to leave marked the latest high-profile departure from the White House and left Trump without one of his closest and most loyal confidantes.

By Thursday morning, Trump had moved on to other matters.

He used Twitter first thing to blast his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, over the justice department’s handling of the Russia investigation. The attack drew a rare rebuke from Sessions, prompting speculation over his future in the administration.

Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, was later unable to say if Trump planned to fire Sessions, simply stating: “Not that I know of.”

The turbulence continued throughout the day.

On Thursday afternoon, Roberta Jacobson, the US ambassador to Mexico, said she was resigning from her post. Although the veteran diplomat did not specify the reason for her departure, the announcement came amid strained relations with Trump, who has overseen a swift deterioration in US-Mexico relations.

Trump was meanwhile poised to set off another firestorm. In a sudden move, Trump said his administration would impose stiff tariffs on steel and aluminum imports as early as next week.

The decision, made against the will of some of the president’s top advisers, sent the stock market into a tailspin and escalated the prospect of a global trade war.

Even Trump’s former aides acknowledged the volatility at the White House had soared to new heights.

“The morale is terrible … It’s messed up,” another former White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, told CNN Thursday.

“It’ll be up to the president to figure out if he wants to fix it or not.”</s>WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s longest-serving aides, is resigning from her job as White House communications director, White House spokesman Sarah Sanders said on Wednesday.

Sanders told reporters the timeline for Hicks’ departure was unclear. She said her departure was not related to her testimony to a congressional committee on Tuesday about a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.</s>White House communications director Hope Hicks spent nine hours testifying Tuesday behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee, a month after her initial appearance was abruptly postponed. Like at least two other witnesses before her -- including former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon -- Hicks initially relegated her testimony solely to events that took place during the campaign and refused to answer questions related to the transition or her time in the White House.

Later in the afternoon, after it was revealed she had addressed some transition matters in an earlier, separate interview with the Senate Intelligence Committee, Hicks slightly broadened her testimony to answer "some" questions related to the transition, members said.

In remarks at the conclusion of the committee's interview, ranking member Adam Schiff, D-California, said Hicks' refusal to answer questions constituted "a breathtakingly broad claim of privilege that I don't think any court would sustain, and I think the White House knows that."

"This is not executive privilege, this is executive stonewalling," he said.

Schiff said all of the committee's questions related to the drafting of a statement about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting "went unanswered," and that he believed Hicks' responses to them should be compelled by subpoena.

He said the minority moved, as it did in Bannon's case, to subpoena some of Hicks' testimony "on the spot," but that the majority declined to do so.

Earlier in the day, Rep. Denny Heck, D-Washington, summed up the testimony in three words: "We got Bannoned."

Republicans expressed few reservations about what questions Hicks did not answer.

"I think she's been here for the last eight hours and she's answered questions for those eight hours based on the four parameters that our committee has laid out," said Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Florida, "and I think that she's been forthright and open to all the questions that we've had."

"She's answered every possible question on the campaign," said Rep. Peter King, R-New York.

Bannon's refusal to answer the committee's questions beyond a list of 25 questions that was "literally scripted" by the White House, according to earlier remarks by Schiff, prompted a call by committee Republicans and Democrats alike to hold Bannon in contempt of Congress.

That possibility did not arise in the aftermath of Lewandowski's testimony, during which he said he was not prepared to answer questions beyond the campaign. It is even less clear that it will be considered in Hicks' case.

"We'll cross that Rubicon when we get to it," said the Republican leading the Russia probe, Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, who also said he had not yet spoken to House Speaker Paul Ryan about initiating contempt proceedings for Bannon.

It was not immediately clear what next steps the committee as a whole was prepared to take in its ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

In order to bring the investigation to a credible close, Schiff said, the minority wanted to review more documents and bring in -- or, as in the cases of Hicks, Bannon and Lewandowski -- bring back more witnesses. Meanwhile, Republicans expressed an eagerness to wrap the matter up soon.

Asked what steps the majority intended to take next in the investigation, Rep. Rooney said, "Hopefully that we write a report based on the year-long investigation that we've done with the scores of witnesses that we've interviewed over the last year."

But when asked if that meant the investigation would soon be brought to a close, Rooney said, "I hope so -- but I doubt it."</s>Hicks' departure capped her meteoric rise from Trump Organization communications aide to the upper crust of power in Washington in just a few years, during which Hicks sought to maintain a remarkably low profile for someone in her position.

Her resignation will undoubtedly reverberate for months to come inside the West Wing, where Trump will find himself for the first time in more than three years without the constant presence of his most loyal aide -- who is among the handful of aides who worked with Trump at his company, during the rollicking campaign and into the White House.

Hicks' resignation came a day after she testified before the House Intelligence Committee and said she had told white lies in the course of her duties, though there was no indication the two were connected. A source familiar with her thinking said she first seriously considered resigning in the wake of the scandal involving former senior aide Rob Porter, whose public defense Hicks helped craft while also dating him at the time.

A tearful Hicks announced her departure to the White House communications team Wednesday afternoon, a source inside the room told CNN. She referenced how many years she had worked for Trump, said she has always wanted the best for him and that she felt like now was the right time to go -- which some in the room took as a reference to the speculation she's leaving in light of her testimony. She thanked the team and said she will miss them all.

Hicks won't leave immediately but she expected to depart in the next few weeks.

The President, who one source said found out on Wednesday that she had made a final decision to leave, praised Hicks as "outstanding."

"She is as smart and thoughtful as they come, a truly great person. I will miss having her by my side but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood. I am sure we will work together again in the future," Trump said in a written statement on Wednesday.

In a statement, Hicks thanked Trump and the administration, saying: "There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump. I wish the President and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country."

Void created

It was not immediately clear who will replace Hicks as White House communications director -- a position that has now been filled by four individuals -- but some of Hicks' duties have increasingly been filled over the last two months by Mercedes Schlapp , the senior adviser for strategic communications. While Hicks was busy fighting the crisis of the day at the President's side or meeting with her lawyers, Schlapp stepped in to lead the communications team, sources told CNN earlier this month.

Regardless of who replaces her, the White House will be hard-pressed to find another aide who understands the President and knows how to work with him as well as Hicks does. Trump allies digested the news with surprise, finding it hard to imagine Trump without Hicks at his side.

"I'm just floored," one Trump ally said. "I don't think it's possible to overstate the significance and just the importance of her role within the White House. She's an invaluable team member and one of the originals."

Multiple sources insisted Wednesday that Hicks was in no way forced out of her position, but Hicks' close relationship with Trump at times chafed at the strict protocols Kelly has sought to impose. But Hick's access to Trump was never really in question, despite Kelly's efforts to streamline the access of other top officials, the people said.

But Hicks and Kelly enjoyed an amiable working relationship and did not feud in the way the retired Marine general has with other top officials, people familiar with their dynamic said.

Kelly's initial concern with Hicks was the uncertain nature of her role when he took over in July. He pushed to have her assume the duties of communications director to better define her position and place her within the West Wing hierarchy.

Path ahead

JUST WATCHED Hope Hicks becomes the story Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Hope Hicks becomes the story 11:30

At just 29, Hicks is now expected to return to the private sector with the heading of former White House communications director, a label of prestige that can unlock top positions at blue chip companies, six-figure TV deals and profitable, best-selling books.

Some of those could be in the offing for Hicks, who has remained a mystery to many Americans despite her proximity to power and influential role.

But Hicks will not exit the White House unstained, having drawn the scrutiny of special counsel Robert Mueller over her role in crafting the misleading statement about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.

Hicks was one of the White House officials involved in crafting the statement aboard Air Force One that claimed Trump Jr., the President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort took the meeting with the lawyer primarily to discuss US policy on Russian adoptions -- rather than because Trump Jr. believed the lawyer would provide incriminating information on Clinton from the Russian government.

Hicks also came under fire more recently over her involvement in crafting the White House's initial defense of Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary who resigned in disgrace after two of his ex-wives publicly accused him of domestic abuse.

Hicks, who at the time was dating Porter, did not recuse herself from the matter. Instead, she urged other White House officials to put out a robust defense of Porter in the face of the allegations

Hicks was one of Trump's first hires as he assembled a lean team of aides who would launch his improbable presidential campaign. From then until his election, she was a constant presence by his side -- traveling to nearly every rally, hovering within earshot during interviews and always prepared to type out a bombastic tweet as dictated by her boss.

Hicks, who first entered the White House as director of strategic communications, rose to the position of communications director after her predecessor Anthony Scaramucci flamed out in just 10 days, after attacking fellow White House aides in a vulgarity-laden interview.

The pick marked a 180-degree turn from the White House's earlier attempts to install a seasoned Republican strategist in the communications director post and was a tacit acknowledgment that wooing such a candidate was likely not in the cards.

The Greenwich, Connecticut, native officially entered Trump's orbit in 2014, after the President's daughter Ivanka Trump poached Hicks from the public affairs firm where Trump had been a client. Soon enough, Hicks was working directly for the family patriarch at the Trump Organization and he asked her in 2015 to join his campaign as his press secretary.</s>(WASHINGTON) — White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s most loyal aides, is resigning.

In a statement, the president praises Hicks for her work over the last three years. He says he “will miss having her by my side.”

The news comes a day after Hicks was interviewed for nine hours by the panel investigating Russia interference in the 2016 election and contact between Trump’s campaign and Russia.

She acknowledged to a House intelligence panel that she has occasionally told “white lies” for Trump. But she said she had not lied about anything relevant to the Russia investigation.

Hicks served as Trump’s one-woman communications shop during his winning campaign. She says in a statement, “There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump.”</s>WASHINGTON — White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s closest and most loyal aides, is resigning.

The departure of one of the president’s longest-serving advisers, who worked as a one-woman communications shop during his winning campaign, came as a surprise to most in the White House — and cast a pall over the West Wing at a tumultuous time. The news comes a day after Hicks was interviewed for nine hours by the House panel investigating Russia interference in the 2016 election and contact between Trump’s campaign and Russia.

In a statement, Trump praised Hicks for her work over the last three years, saying he “will miss having her by my side.”

Hicks, who occupied the desk closest to the Oval Office in the West Wing, has been a central participant in or witness to nearly every milestone and controversy of the Trump campaign and White House. She began her White House tenure as director of strategic communications — a title that only partly captured her more expansive role as the president’s gatekeeper to the press.

Hicks acknowledged to a House intelligence panel Tuesday that she has occasionally told “white lies” for Trump. But she said she had not lied about anything relevant to the Russia investigation. She has also been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team about her role in crafting a statement about Donald Trump Jr.’s 2016 meeting with Russians, as Mueller’s expansive probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential misdeeds committed by those in the president’s orbit moves ever closer to the Oval Office.

Hicks’ departure leaves a vacuum in the White House communications team, and in the president’s collection of trusted aides. The announcement came a day after a similar announcement about the impending departure of deputy communications director Josh Raffel, and just a few days after senior adviser Jared Kushner saw his security clearance downgraded — limiting his access to classified information.

“I can’t imagine anyone here leaving a bigger hole in the White House than Hope on her departure,” said White House lawyer Ty Cobb.

White House officials and outside advisers suggested Hicks’ departure would strengthen chief of staff John Kelly’s control over what has been an oftentimes chaotic West Wing.

In a statement, Kelly said Hicks had become “a trusted adviser and counselor,” but behind the scenes the pair had occasionally clashed over her more informal role. Kelly had begrudgingly supported making Hicks communications director after the short-lived tenure of Anthony Scaramucci, in an effort to integrate her role into the rest of the White House’s communications strategy.

Hicks’ departure is just the latest manifestation of historic staff churn in the Trump administration.

Hicks said in a statement, “There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump.” She added she wished Trump and his administration the “very best.”

A former Ralph Lauren fashion model and public relations pro who worked for Trump’s daughter Ivanka, Hicks, 29, had no political background when Trump asked her to serve on his campaign.

Before Wednesday’s announcement, Hicks had not been happy for some time, according to two people with knowledge of her thinking who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. One person said Hicks had been increasingly feeling the stress of the position.

She was an unconventional campaign press secretary, rarely mixing it up with reporters, almost never giving interviews and, despite Trump’s fondness for cable, staying off TV. She spoke at a rally exactly once in December 2016, after Trump beseeched her “to say a couple of words.”

She said nine: “Hi. Merry Christmas everyone, and thank you, Donald Trump.”

Within the White House, she was seen as a stabilizing force on Trump, who at times would grow unhappy when she was not around. As the West Wing was riven by rivalries in the early months of the administration, she allied herself with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in opposition, at times, to the nationalist forces led by then-chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Hicks, who has long tried to avoid media attention, was thrust into the spotlight recently when it was revealed she had been dating former Staff Secretary Rob Porter. He left the administration after accusations that he had abused his two ex-wives became public.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Hicks would remain at the White House “for several weeks” and denied that Hicks’ decision to leave had anything to do with her lengthy testimony before the House Intelligence Committee.

“Don’t try to read more into it than exists,” Sanders said. “This is something that she’s been thinking about for a while.”

Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey and Ken Thomas contributed from Washington. Jonathan Lemire contributed from New York.
Hope Hicks announces that she will resign as White House Communications Director, one day after being interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee.