Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump‘s most trusted advisers, plans to resign from her post as White House communications director.
Hicks said that she had been considering leaving for several months, The New York Times reports.
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Her plans for resignation were confirmed on Wednesday, one day after she testified for eight hours before the House Intelligence Committee. During the panel, Hicks said that she had occasionally been required to tell white lies as part of her job, but she had never lied about anything connected to the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Multiple White House aides told the Times that Hicks’s departure was unrelated to her appearance before the committee. They argued that she had told a small group of confidants in the days before the session that she had planned to leave her job.
Hicks issued a statement following the news to thank the president for his “gratitude.”
“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,” she said, NBC News reports.
Trump also issued a statement praising Hicks for her service.
“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,” the president said, according to NBC News.
“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 president said in a statement.
The 29-year-old and former model previously worked as a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization and for Ivanka Trump’s fashion brand before she was tapped to join Trump’s presidential campaign from its inception, despite having no experience in politics. She later joined the White House as a communications adviser, but took the top communications job after the departure of Anthony Scaramucci last year.
In her position, Hicks became known as one of the few aides who understood President Trump’s personality and could challenge the president to change his views.
The Times reports that Hicks did not reveal exactly when she would departure from the White House, but it is likely to be in the next few weeks. She also did not share what her next job would be.
Photo credit: Getty / Chip Somodevilla
