Hope Hicks ‘drops a bomb’ during Trump trial: ‘Nail in the coffin moment’

ACTUALLY HAPPENED, WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF THE CRIMINAL INDICTMENT. WHERE IN DONALD TRUMP DIRECTED HIS EFFEXOR TO PAY OFF A STAR SO HE COULD WIN THE ELECTION. SHE HAS EXTENSIVELY COVERED HOPE HICKS OVER THE YEARS. KRISTY GREENBERG IS A FORMER BEAUTY CHIEF FOR THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK. THEY BOTH JOIN ME NOW. GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE. LET ME START WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE AT THE COURTHOUSE AND WALKED IN ADULT ONSET AND YOU WERE LIKE WHAT A DAY. IT FELT, WE ARE READING THIS IN REAL TIME FOR PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, WE DON'T HAVE CAMERAS. WE DON'T HAVE A TRANSCRIPT BUT IT FELT THAT WAY GETTING THE TEXT DISPATCHES. WHAT WAS IT LIKE IN THAT BUILDING? >> IT WAS INCREDIBLY POWERFUL TESTIMONY FROM HOPE HICKS BECAUSE BEFORE SHE EVEN GOT TO THE MEAT OF IT, SHE HAD SAID SO MANY NICE THINGS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP TO START. HE'S A MASTER AT BRANDING, HE KNOWS COMMUNICATIONS. A LOT OF REALLY OBSEQUIOUS COMMENTS IN SHOWING THAT SHE STILL CARES FOR THE. THEN WHEN SHE STARTS MAKING THESE STATEMENTS THAT ARE DAMAGING TO THE CASE FOR THE DEFENSE, IT HAS THAT MUCH MORE POWER. SHE IS NOT THE SLEAZE BALL LAWYER WHO HAS THE SLEAZY TABLOID CLIENTS OR THE TABLOID JOURNALIST. SHE'S SOMEBODY WHO CARED ABOUT HIM AND YET SHE IS JUST, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A NAIL IN THE COFFIN AND WHERE IN 2018, THERE IS A CONVERSATION THAT IT IS JUST HER AND TRUMP. >> IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AT THIS POINT. SHE IS WORKING FOR HIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE. >> YES AND MICHAEL COHEN HAS GONE TO "THE NEW YORK TIMES" AND SAID I MADE THIS PAYMENT TO STORMY DANIELS. AND DONALD TRUMP SAYS WELL, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN DAMAGING IF IT HAD COME OUT DURING THE CAMPAIGN AND IT IS GOOD IT IS COMING OUT NOW AND THEN. THAT WAS THE LAST QUESTION FROM THE EXECUTOR. IT WAS JUST A MICROPHONE DROP MOMENT. JAW-DROPPING MOMENT THAT SHE HAD SAID THAT. SO, IT WAS INCREDIBLY POWERFUL. >> TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, SHE STARTED CRYING AFTER SHE SAID THAT. ALL THE TENSION IN HER GETS RELEASED THAT LIMIT. >> EXACTLY. AT THAT POINT, SHE, THE CROSS- EXAMINATION STARTS. THERE'S A QUESTION OR TWO ABOUT WHEN DID YOU START WORKING WITH THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION AND THAT IS WHEN SHE STARTS CRYING. AT LEAST WATCHING IT, IT DID NOT SEEM LIKE THAT WAS THE QUESTION THAT MADE HER CRY. I THINK IT WAS THE FACT THAT SHE KNEW SHE DROPPED THIS BOMB AND THAT THE WEIGHT OF THAT REALLY AND THAT RELEASE, AS YOU SAY, YOU COULD JUST SEE IT IN HER EXPRESSION. >> YOU HAVE COVERED HOPE HICKS FOR A LONG TIME. HOW CENTRAL WAS SHE TO THE OPERATION, HOW CRUCIAL A WITNESS IS SHE IN THIS CASE QUESTION >> SHE WAS IN PROXIMITY AND IN EVERY OTHER WAY, AS CLOSE AS YOU COULD GET TO THAT FAMILY WITHOUT HAVING A LAST NAME TRUMP. SHE WAS MUCH CLOSER TO DONALD TRUMP A LOT OF HIS OWN CHILDREN. >> REFERRING TO TIFFANY. >> SHE WAS A LOT CLOSER THAN A LOT OF THE CHILDREN. SHE WAS AROUND ALL THE TIME. SHE STARTED AT THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION AND BECAME VERY CLOSE TO IVANKA AND BUILT HER REPUTATION IN THE FAMILY. SHE FOUND HERSELF IN THIS DARK SITCOM, DONALD TRUMP SAID WE ARE GOING TO IOWA AND SHE SAID WHAT DO PEOPLE WHERE IN IOWA? SHE DID NOT INTEND TO WORK ON THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND DID NOT INTEND TO WORK AT A WHITE HORSE. IT IS NOT HER DREAM AND SHE ENDED UP THERE IN THIS INCREDIBLY TOXIC, ULTIMATELY VIOLENT ENVIRONMENT AND SAW A LOT AND HAS A NEAR PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY, EVEN IF THAT DID NOT ALWAYS COME THROUGH IN HER TESTIMONY. I THINK IT WAS PROBABLY VERY HARD FOR TRUMP, IF HE HAS EMOTIONS, TO SEE HER IN THAT POSITION. SHE'S NOT MICHAEL COHEN. >> LAWRENCE SAID THIS WHEN WE PLAYED THE OPEN, THERE WAS AVOIDANCE OF EYE CONTACT. SHE SAID SHE HADN'T TALKED TO HIM SINCE 2022. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE ARE TWO KEY PARTS OF THE PROSECUTION'S CASE THAT HOPE HICKS HELPS PROSECUTION WITH. ONE IS WAS THIS ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN? THAT IS KEY TO THE MOTIVE. THE OTHER WAS WAS THIS BEING DONE BY OTHER PEOPLE OR DATE TRUMP HAVE A ROLE? MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE TESTIMONY SPOKE TO BOTH OF THOSE BUT ON THE SECOND CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE FIRST ONE, ON THE SECOND ONE, IT IS PRETTY CLEAR FROM HER TESTIMONY AT LEAST ACCORDING TO HER THAT HE WAS INVOLVED, THIS WAS NOT AN OFF BOOK OPERATION FREELANCED BY MICHAEL COHEN. >> SHE TALKS ABOUT THE FACT THAT WHEN THE INJURY FIRST COMES IN BEFORE THE WALL STREET JOURNAL PUBLISHES THAT THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER IS TRYING TO SQUASH THIS STORY ABOUT KAREN McDOUGAL, WHEN THAT INQUIRY FIRST COMES IN, DONALD TRUMP GOES TO HOPE HICKS AND SAYS WHAT DID DAVID PECKER TELL YOU? THAT IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT DAVID PECKER IS STICKING TO THE STORY. THIS WAS A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS CONTRACT, WE WANTED HER ON THE MAGAZINE COVER, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE , HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CONTRACT, WHICH JUST SAYS THIS WAS A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITY, THAT DAVID PECKER WAS TELLING THE STORY BECAUSE HOPE HICKS IS IN THE DARK AND THEN AFTER THE ARTICLE IS PUBLISHED, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE, AFTER THIS IS PUBLISHED, THIS IS A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION, NOVEMBER 4th 2016, AFTER THE ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED, WHAT DOES DONALD TRUMP SAY TO HOPE HICKS? HOW IS IT PLAYING? THAT IS WHAT HE WOULD SAY WHATEVER HE WANTED TO FIND OUT HOW SOMETHING WAS BEING RECEIVED IN THE PAST. AGAIN, RELATED TO THE ELECTION. NOW, SHE ALSO TESTIFIED, AS YOU MENTIONED AT THE OPENING, MAYBE MAKE SURE THE NEWSPAPER DOESN'T GO TO MELANIA. YOU CAN HAVE BOTH PURPOSES SO LONG AS THE CAMPAIGN IS FRONT AND CENTER, WHICH IT CLEARLY WAS AND WHICH HOPE HICKS TESTIFIED THAT IT WAS. HIS FOCUS WAS ALSO ON GETTING DAVID PHONE NUMBER AFTER THE ARTICLE CAME OUT. HE ASKED HOPE HICKS, GIVE ME DAVID PHONE NUMBER AND THEN AFTERWARDS SAYS IT'S ALL GOOD. WE TALKED, IT'S ALL FINE. IT'S ALL GOOD, WHICH IS WHAT DAVID PECKER TESTIFIED. THIS COLLABORATION OF WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY HEARD FROM FROM DAVID PECKER SHOWING DONALD TRUMP IS RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THIS. >> AND HOPE HICKS, PART OF WHAT WAS FASCINATING TO ME AGAIN AS I WAS READING THIS THROUGH OUR INTERNAL SLACK CHANNEL, IT WAS A REMINDER OF THE SHEER CHAOS AND CRISIS AND ALMOST TIPPING POINT MOMENT OF THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPE AND THE FACT THAT THAT ARTICLE THAT DOES COME OUT BEFORE THE ELECTION ULTIMATELY ENDS UP SPACED OUT IN OF THAT IT WOULDN'T, LIKE IF THAT HAD COME OUT THE DAY AFTER ACCESS HOLLYWOOD OR TWO DAYS AFTER OR THREE DAYS AFTER, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN IT. YOU WERE THERE COVERING IT, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN IT. >> THEY GOT LUCKY WITH THE TIMING OF THAT. ALSO, REMEMBER AT THAT TIME, IT IS EASY TO FORGET, I HAVE REPRESSED A LOT OF IT, I THINK MOST AMERICANS HAVE, IT WAS ONE ALLEGATION AFTER ANOTHER. IT WAS MORE THAN TWO DOZEN ALLEGATIONS THAT HE HAD SOME SORT OF SEXUAL IMPROPRIETY AND IT WAS JUST ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER. THEY ARE RUNNING AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON, IT IS NOT LIKE THEY THINK THEY ARE GOING TO DO WELL WITH WOMEN VOTERS OVERALL BUT IT IS THIS SORT OF TORRENT OF NEGATIVE INFORMATION AND THIS IS YET ANOTHER THING. >> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE MOMENT WHEN HOPE HICKS CRIED. I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE BEEN DOING SOME REPORTING ABOUT THAT. >> MY UNDERSTANDING WAS SHE DID NOT WANT TO TESTIFY. SHE WAS COMPELLED TO TESTIFY. IT IS NOT AS THOUGH SHE RAISED HER HAND AND SAID YES, I WANT TO HELP RUIN DONALD TRUMP'S LIFE. THIS IS THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN IMPORTANT TO HER, EVEN IF SHE DOES MAINTAIN VERY COMPLICATED,