WASHINGTON (AP) – Roger Stone, an associate of President Donald Trump, has been arrested in Florida.
That’s according to special counsel Robert Mueller’s office, which says Stone faces charges including witness tampering, obstruction and false statements. The indictment does not accuse Stone of coordinating with the Russian government’s election interference in 2016, the key matter under investigation in Mueller’s probe.
But the indictment lays out in detail Stone’s conversations about stolen Democratic emails posted by WikiLeaks in the weeks before Trump defeated Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Mueller’s office has said those emails, belonging to Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, were hacked by Russian intelligence officers.
President Donald Trump is responding to the arrest in Florida of longtime associate Roger Stone, tweeting that the special counsel’s Russia probe is the “Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION!”
Trump also tweets that “Border Coyotes, Drug Dealers and Human Traffickers are treated better.”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the arrest of former Donald Trump campaign adviser Roget Stone in the special counsel’s Russia probe has nothing to do with the president.
Sanders’ comments came hours after Stone was arrested Friday during a pre-dawn raid at his Fort Lauderdale, Florida, home.
On CNN, Sanders wouldn’t directly answer a question about which campaign official directed Stone to obtain information about the WikiLeaks disclosures.
A judge has set a $250,000 bond for former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone.
Stone appeared in court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday. He did not enter a plea.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House “will have to get to the truth” about election interference after Stone was arrested.
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