White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders asserted Friday that Roger Stone’s arrest “has nothing to do” with President Trump.
“This has nothing to do with the president, certainly nothing to do with the White House,” Mrs. Sanders said on CNN. “This is something that has to do solely with that individual.”
Mr. Stone was arrested early Friday morning in Florida on charges of obstruction, making false statements and witness tampering related to the infamous WikiLeaks release of hacked Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 presidential election.
The effort was coordinated by an unidentified “senior Trump campaign official” who was directed to contact Mr. Stone, according to the indictment.
CNN reported that the former “Manhattan Madam” Kristin Davis, an associate of Mr. Stone’s, told the network that the FBI raided his New York apartment.
Mrs. Sanders stressed that Mr. Stone served as a consultant, but his interactions with the president are not connected to the charges of making false statements.
She did not comment on whether or not Mr. Trump was the one directing the Trump campaign official to contact Mr. Stone regarding WikiLeaks.
Questioned by White House reporters, Mrs. Sanders dismissed allegations that the president encouraged Mr. Stone to take any action related to the charges.
“That is probably one of the more ridiculous and insulting questions,” she told reporters. “Frankly, it’s just insulting, it’s just not true.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.