WASHINGTON _ The fractious House Intelligence Committee gathered behind closed doors on Tuesday to interview Hope Hicks, President Donald Trump's communications director and one of his closest and longest-serving aides.
One likely area of interest: Hicks was reportedly involved in drafting an inaccurate statement for reporters about a meeting between a Russian lawyer offering dirt on Hillary Clinton and top Trump advisers _ son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign chief Paul Manafort _ during the 2016 campaign.
It's unclear how much Hicks will be willing to divulge about her conversations involving the president. Stephen K. Bannon, the former White House strategist, would answer only preselected questions this month and claimed other inquiries would infringe upon executive privilege, referring to the president's right to protect confidential discussions or material.
The House Intelligence Committee is one of three congressional panels probing Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. Its work has snagged as Democrats and Republicans on the committee have been feuding over whether law enforcement abused its power to start eavesdropping on a former Trump campaign aide a few weeks before the election.
