The Republican Party has paid half a million dollars to the law firm representing Hope Hicks, the former Trump aide who admitted she sometimes lied to help her then-boss Donald Trump.

Hope Hicks pushed President Trump to take control of the coronavirus briefings, which popped up his approval ratings for a few weeks, but have more recently tilted toward political disaster.

The president took with him a group of senior officials including Hope Hicks, who was seen for the first time since she returned to the White House in March, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.