Democrats interview former longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former top White House adviser Hope Hicks is refusing to answer questions related to her time in the White House in an interview with the House Judiciary Committee, according to several frustrated Democrats who have been in the meeting.

Less than an hour into the interview, part of the panel’s investigation into obstruction of justice and special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, Democrats said she was following White House orders to stay quiet about her time as an aide to President Donald Trump.

“She’s objecting to stuff that’s already in the public record,” said California Rep. Karen Bass. “It’s pretty ridiculous.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., called it “a farce.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., declined to comment on the substance of the interview so far, saying “all I’ll say is Ms. Hicks is answering questions put to her and the interview continues.”

In a letter Tuesday to Nadler, White House counsel Pat Cipollone wrote that Trump had directed Hicks not to answer questions “relating to the time of her service as a senior adviser to the president.”

Cipollone said Hicks, as one of Trump’s former senior advisers, is “absolutely immune” from compelled testimony with respect to her service to the president because of the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. The White House has similarly cited broad executive privilege with respect to many of the Democrats’ investigative demands, using the president’s power to withhold information to protect the confidentiality of the Oval Office decision-making process.

Democrats say they disagree that Hicks’ answers are covered by such immunity or privilege, especially since she has already cooperated with Mueller.

Jayapal said that at one point Hicks started to answer a question, and the lawyers jumped in and said “we’re starting executive.”

“Basically, she can say her name,” Jayapal said.

As Hicks spoke to the lawmakers, Trump tweeted that the investigation is “extreme Presidential Harassment.” He wrote that Democrats “are very unhappy with the Mueller Report, so after almost 3 years, they want a Redo, or Do Over.”