Hicks acknowledges 'white lies' for Trump, but not on Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House communications director Hope Hicks acknowledged to a House intelligence panel she has occasionally told "white lies" for President Donald Trump but has not lied about anything relevant to the Russia investigation, according to those present for Hicks' closed-door testimony.

Hicks was interviewed for nine hours Tuesday by the panel investigating Russia interference in the 2016 election and contact between Trump's campaign and Russia. One of Trump's closest aides, Hicks was his spokeswoman during the 2016 presidential campaign and is now White House communications director.

The top Democrat on the intelligence panel, California Rep. Adam Schiff, said after the meeting was over that Hicks answered questions about her role in Trump's campaign and answered some questions about the transition period between the election and the inauguration.

But she would not answer any questions about events since Trump took the oath of office, similar to some other White House officials who have spoken to the committee. Schiff said Hicks did not assert any type of executive privilege, but just said she had been advised not to answer.

Hicks did answer a question about whether she had ever lied for her boss, saying she had told "white lies" for Trump on occasion, according to a person familiar with the testimony. The person, who declined to be named because the committee's interviews are not public, said Hicks told the panel she had not lied about anything substantive.