The Latest: Sanders says Stone arrest unrelated to Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on ex-Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone’s arrest in the special counsel’s Russia probe (all times local):
9:15 a.m.
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.
Stone was charged in a seven-count indictment that includes witness tampering, obstruction and false-statements charges but has long maintained his innocence.
The indictment provides the most detail to date about how Trump campaign associates were aware in the summer of 2016 that emails had been stolen from Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Court documents say a senior Trump campaign official “was directed” to contact Stone about additional releases and “what other damaging information” WikiLeaks had “regarding the Clinton campaign.”
On CNN, Sanders wouldn’t directly answer a question about which campaign official directed Stone to obtain information about the WikiLeaks disclosures.
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8 a.m.
A video of the pre-dawn FBI raid at Roger Stone’s house in Florida shows agents in combat gear using night-vision equipment and running up to Stone’s home and banging repeatedly on the door. On the video, aired on CNN, one agent shouts “FBI open the door! FBI, warrant!”
Stone is an associate of President Donald Trump. Stone is charged with witness tampering, obstruction and false statements stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. The indictment does not accuse Stone of coordinating with Russia’s election interference in 2016. But it lays out Stone’s conversations about stolen Democratic emails posted by WikiLeaks in the weeks before Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The arrest scene included about a half-dozen police vehicles, a dozen officers and agents in tactical vests and large weapons. Stone appeared in his doorway in sleepwear, with his glasses on. An agent asked him, “are you Roger Stone?” and he said “yes.”
Stone was then led away.
Stone is scheduled to make a court appearance later Friday. He has maintained his innocence.
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6:30 a.m.
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.
Stone is scheduled to make a court appearance later Friday.
He has been under scrutiny for months but has maintained his innocence.
