Prosecution witness Hope Hicks offers testimony benefiting Trump, backfiring on DA Bragg | 4 May 2024 | Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called former President Donald Trump’s then-communications aide, Hope Hicks, to the witness stand in the so-called hush money trial in which she offered testimony that may have actually benefited the 45th president. Trump's attorneys argued that his motivation to silence the accounts of fKaren McDougal and Stormy Daniels wasn't to help his 2016 campaign, but rather to protect his family, specifically former First Lady Melania Trump, according to Politico. When Hicks took the stand, she took the position that while Trump preferred that the Stormy Daniels story came out after the election instead of before, his main interest in keeping these allegations buried was to shield Melania from hearing about it. Bragg has claimed that Trump paid Daniels to be quiet to benefit his campaign, resulting in allegations that he was unlawfully attempting to influence the election.