The White House doesn’t appear to have written a full press release about the departure of Hope Hicks as the Trump White House’ communications director. But if it had, it would read a lot like Melanie Arter’s Feb. 28 CNSNews.com article about it.
Arter’s article is chock-full of press release-ese and nothing but congratulatory statements:
White House Communications Director Hope Hicks is resigning to explore opportunities outside of the White House, having served in that role since September, the White House announced Wednesday.
The exact date of Hicks’ departure is yet to be determined, but it’s expected to be sometime in the next few weeks.
[…]“There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump. I wish the President and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country,” Hicks 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. I am sure we will work together again in the future,” Trump said in a statement.
“When I became Chief of Staff, I quickly realized what so many have learned about Hope – she is strategic, poised and wise beyond her years. She became a trusted adviser and counselor and did a tremendous job overseeing the communications for the President’s agenda including the passage of historic tax reform. She has served her country with great distinction. To say that she will be missed, is an understatement,” White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said in a statement.
Hicks “approached the president and told him she wanted to leave so she could start exploring opportunities outside of the WH,” the White House said.
As a longtime Trump stenographer, Arter fails to mention the actual events that may have precipitated Hick’s resignation, regardless of the cheery fluff being peddled.
As an actual news outlet reported, Hicks’ resignation comes a day after she testified before the House Intelligence Committee and admitted that she sometimes tells “white lies” as part of her job.
Hicks was also involved in another very recent high-profile controversy. She is the (apparently now ex-) girlfriend of White House staffer Rob Porter, who was forced to resign after his history of spousal abuse was made public. And as a different actual news outlet reported, Hicks may have helped draft a White House statement defending Porter before the scandal fully exploded.
Arter is such a dutiful stenographer for the White House press office anyway, she might as well be on Trump’s payroll.