Hicks’s sudden resignation caps one of the more remarkable careers to emerge from the Trump phenomenon. A former model, Hicks had a few years in public relations under her belt when she joined the Trump campaign, but no political experience. She told New York that Trump summoned her in January 2015. “Mr. Trump looked at me and said, ‘I’m thinking about running for president, and you’re going to be my press secretary,’” she said. “I think it’s ‘the year of the outsider.’ It helps to have people with outsider perspective.” Because of her glamour and youth, she quickly became an object of fascination for the political press—but unlike her boss, Hicks shunned the spotlight, seldom speaking on the record.

After Trump’s upset victory in 2016, the most visible positions in the White House communications apparatus went to older and more experienced operators. Sean Spicer was named press secretary; Jason Miller was put forward for communications director, though he soon withdrew. Hicks remained a trusted aide to Trump, often sitting in on interviews.

The communications-director job, meanwhile, began to seem cursed. Spicer served as acting director until Mike Dubke took the job in March 2017, but Dubke lasted less than three months, which was still longer than the next communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, who made it only 10 days.

In the aftermath of Scaramucci’s flame-out in summer of 2017, Hicks was named communications director, the youngest person to ever fill that role. By then, she had acquired a reputation as a Trump whisperer, a rare individual who could respond to the president’s whims and retain his trust.

Hicks’s talent for staying out of the spotlight seems to have served her well as communications director, and the new White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, proved a more adept player than Spicer had been. But the chaos of the Trump White House leaves no one immune. Earlier this month, news reports revealed that two ex-wives had accused then-White House staff secretary Rob Porter of domestic abuse. The White House initially took a strong stand in favor of Porter, but then, after photos showing a black eye Porter allegedly gave ex-wife Colbie Holderness, forced him out. The incident was damaging to the entire White House and especially Chief of Staff John Kelly, but it also brought unwelcome attention to Hicks, who was reportedly romantically involved with Porter.

Hicks’s testimony on Tuesday also brought controversy. She sat before the House Intelligence Committee for almost nine hours on Tuesday, where she reportedly answered questions about the campaign, but declined to speak about the presidential transition or her time in the White House, citing a vague claim of executive privilege. (It’s unclear whether President Trump made the claim or might make it; former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon took a similar approach when he spoke to the committee.) Hicks did, however, admit to sometimes bending the truth in her job—something that most spokespeople do from time to time, but none wants to admit on the record.