House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, weighing in Friday on the indictment of ex-Trump adviser Roger Stone as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, appeared to question the president's choices of whom “to surround himself with.”
“The indictment of Roger Stone makes clear that there was a deliberate, coordinated attempt by top Trump campaign officials to influence the 2016 election and subvert the will of the American people,” the Democratic leader said in a statement. “It is staggering that the president has chosen to surround himself with people who violated the integrity of our democracy and lied to the FBI and Congress about it.”
Stone, 66, was taken into custody in Florida on Friday after being indicted by a federal grand jury the day before on charges of obstruction, making false statements and witness tampering.
The allegations against Stone “constitute grave crimes,” Pelosi said, adding that anyone who carries out “these illegal acts” needs to be held accountable.
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“We cannot allow any effort to intimidate witnesses or prevent them from appearing before Congress,” she said in the statement.
The indictment unsealed Friday does not charge Stone with conspiring with WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy website that published emails of Democrats during the 2016 campaign, or with the Russian officers Mueller says hacked the Dems. Instead, it accuses him of lying about his interactions related to WikiLeaks' release during probes by Congress and Mueller’s team into Russian election meddling.
The indictment states that during the summer of 2016, Stone spoke to senior Trump campaign officials about WikiLeaks and information it might have had that would be damaging to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
It also said Stone was contacted by senior Trump campaign officials to inquire about future releases, and that Stone continued to communicate with members of the Trump campaign about WikiLeaks.
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The 24-page indictment alleged that Stone worked to obstruct the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election by making false statements to the committee, denying he had records sought by the committee and persuading a witness to provide false testimony.
Pelosi also accused Trump of trying to undermine Mueller’s probe, which she said “raise the questions” about potential ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“In the face of 37 indictments, the president’s continued actions to undermine the special counsel investigation raise the questions: What does Putin have on the president, politically, personally or financially?” she said. “Why has the Trump administration continued to discuss pulling the U.S. out of NATO, which would be a massive victory for Putin?”
During an interview Friday on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Stone said the indictment is “thin” and is really “about silencing” him. He vowed to fight on.
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"I’m in for the fight of my life but I will not quit. I will not fold. I will not bend. I will not bear false witness against the president," Stone said. "I intend to fight because this indictment is fabricated. This indictment is thin as can be."
At a news conference earlier Friday, he said he would “plead not guilty to these charges” and would “defeat them in court.”
Fox News’ Alex Pappas and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
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