Former presidential media adviser takes stand in Trump hush money trial

Hope Hicks is giving evidence in the hush money case against her former boss (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Hope Hicks, a former long-time adviser to Donald Trump, took the witness stand on Friday in his criminal trial, where prosecutors are expected to question her about her knowledge of hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Ms Hicks, who served as White House communications director, is the first close Trump adviser to testify in the case, which accuses the Republican former president of a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by silencing women who claimed to have sexual encounters with him.