Hope Hicks won't answer questions about the White House in congressional interview

(CNN)Former White House communications director Hope Hicks is not responding to any questions about her time at the White House in a closed-door congressional interview Wednesday, angering Democrats who say they expect to go to court to force her to answer their questions.

White House attorneys are objecting to all questions related to the White House, Democrats say, all the way down to where Hicks sat in the West Wing. But Hicks is answering questions about her time on the Trump campaign, which is not covered by executive privilege.

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The White House is not asserting executive privilege, but arguing that Hicks has absolute immunity from testifying as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump. Democrats called that legal claim "ridiculous" and "absurd" as they signaled they will likely challenge it in court.

"There is no such thing as absolute immunity that prevents someone from answering questions about any subject related to their work in an administration. It just doesn't exist," said Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat. "This is an ongoing effort by the president of the United States to obstruct, to prevent Congress from finding the facts and behaving as if he's above the law."

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler told reporters as he exited the interview, which is still ongoing, that she was answering some questions.

"Ms. Hicks is answering questions put to her and the interview continues," the New York Democrat said. He declined to say what his next steps would be.

Hicks' appearance is the first time a member of Trump's inner circle is appearing before a Democratic committee investigating the President, which comes as Nadler's committee wrestles with whether to begin an impeachment inquiry.

Trump weighed in on Hicks' interview on Twitter Wednesday, accusing Democrats of "extreme presidential harassment."

"The Dems are very unhappy with the Mueller Report, so after almost 3 years, they want a Redo, or Do Over. This is extreme Presidential Harassment," Trump tweeted. "They gave Crooked Hillary's people complete Immunity, yet now they bring back Hope Hicks."

Republicans criticized Democrats for trying to interview Hicks in the first place. Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, the ranking Republican on the committee, called Hicks' appearance merely an attempt from Democrats to generate a "press release." And Rep. Steve Chabot, an Ohio Republican, called the interview a "total waste of time" as he left the room.

The White House's objections to Democrats' questions were expected, as White House Counsel Pat Cipollone sent the House panel a letter Tuesday evening arguing that Hicks was immune from testifying about her time at the White House as one of the President's senior advisers, citing executive privilege protections.

"Because of this constitutional immunity, and in order to protect the prerogatives of the Office of President, the President has directed Ms. Hicks not to answer questions before the Committee relating to the time of her services as a senior adviser to the President," Cipollone wrote.