Washington, D.C.
Executive privilege: The White House instructed former officials Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson to defy congressional subpoenas this week, citing executive privilege. The White House said that Hicks, who served as Trump’s campaign press secretary and first communications director, and Donaldson, the former deputy White House counsel, “do not have the legal right to disclose the White House records to third parties.” That incensed House Democrats, who seek documents related to Russian election interference, hush payments made by former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, and other matters. Despite the White House’s demand, Hicks did provide the House with documents related to the 2016 campaign. The Justice Department succeeded in persuading the judge in the case of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, to reverse an order that would have made public transcripts of Flynn’s conversations with the Russian ambassador.