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Hope Hicks: Outgoing White House communications director already being contacted about writing Trump tell-all

The 29-year-old could reportedly make up to $10m from an advance to a book deal

Alexandra Wilts
Washington DC
Friday 02 March 2018 11:51 EST
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White House communications director Hope Hicks announced this week that she will resign from her post
White House communications director Hope Hicks announced this week that she will resign from her post (Getty Images )

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Outgoing White House communications director Hope Hicks is reportedly already being contacted by publishers about the possibility of her writing a book detailing her experience as President Donald Trump’s longest-serving aide.

The 29-year-old could make up to $10m from an advance to a book deal, the Daily Mail reported. She is also actively being contacted by movie and TV producers.

“Next to Ivanka and Melania, Hope is the woman closest to the president,” one publishing executive told the news outlet. “[She] knows all the secrets, all the foibles, all the quirks.”

Ms Hicks announced on Wednesday that was resigning from her high-level post – a day after she admitted to the House Intelligence Committee that she told “white lies” on Mr Trump’s behalf. The panel was conducting an interview with Ms Hicks as part of its investigation Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump campaign advisers colluded with the Kremlin.

During the interview, Ms Hicks said she never lied about anything connected to the Russia probe.

Many have questioned the timing of Ms Hicks’ resignation. The White House has said she approached the President and told him she wanted to leave so she could start exploring other opportunities.

Mr Trump, who reportedly berated Ms Hicks over what she told the intelligence committee, said in a statement: “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. I will miss having her by my side, but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood.”

Mr Trump has denied allegations of collusion.

Media and entertainment industries are said to view Ms Hicks’ story as a political blockbuster given that she is viewed to be one of the few aides who understood Mr Trump’s personality and style.

She worked with him before he announced he was running for President, through the campaign and into the second year of his administration.

As a result of spending so much time with the President, she became entangled in several controversies over the past year, including the Russia investigations.

Ms Hicks is expected to have obligations under a nondisclosure agreement, meaning what she would immediately be able to tell the public would be limited.

But there is question over whether Ms Hicks would even be willing to sign a book deal. She maintained one of the lowest public profiles of anyone to hold the job of communications director, rarely giving interviews even though she was often present when Mr Trump spoke to journalists.

Ms Hicks is expected to leave the White House in the coming weeks.

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