Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks told U.S. lawmakers that U.S. President Donald Trump was not joking in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopolis..about his readiness to accept derogatory information on political opponents from a foreign government. That’s what a congressional interview transcript released on Thursday showed. Democrats say the transcript cites 155 instances in which lawyers from the White House and Justice Department blocked her from answering. Earlier on Thursday, an expert witness told the committee at a public hearing that Trump’s remarks to ABC could violate the presidential oath of office and provide evidence for any future impeachment inquiry.