Trump's ex-aide indicted in Mueller probe, held
January 25, 2019 23:03
Roger Stone, a long-time Trump associate, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday after being indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, probing alleged interference by Russia into the 2016 United States presidential elections.
The former Trump campaign adviser was later released on bail by a Florida court after posting a $250,000 bond after he was produced in the court.
As per the order issued by Magistrate Judge Lurana Snow, Stone has been prevented from travelling outside of South Florida, Washington, DC and New York City.
Also, he has been asked by the court not to contact any witnesses.
Stone's arrest is being seen as a setback for US President Donald Trump at a time when he is fighting a major political battle with the opposition Democrats funding for building a wall along the US-Mexico border to check the flow of illegal migrants.
In his first reaction, Trump reiterated his allegation of 'witch-hunt' and said that drug-dealers and human traffickers were being treated better.
'Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION! Border Coyotes, Drug Dealers and Human Traffickers are treated better,' he tweeted.
Trump also questioned on the presence of CNN to shoot the arrest of Stone in Florida.
"Who alerted CNN to be there?" asked the president.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also told reporters that this has nothing to do with President Trump.
Stone was arrested from his Florida home early Friday morning.
Stone has been indicted on seven counts including obstruction of official proceeding, false statements, and witness tampering.
According to the indictment, Stone was an official on Trump's presidential campaign until in or around August 2015, and maintained regular contact with and publicly supported the Trump Campaign through the 2016 election.
Special Counsel alleged that Stone obstructed the investigations by the House Intelligence Committee and the FBI into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Mueller, in his 23-page indictment, alleged that Stone made multiple false statements to House Intelligence Committee about his interactions regarding 'Organization 1'. The unnamed organisation matches the description of WikiLeaks.
"My first reaction is real simple. This has nothing to do with the president and certainly nothing to do with the White House. This is something that has to do solely with the individual and something that not affects us here in this building," Sanders told CNN in an interview.
She repeated her remarks to other news channels and to reporters at the White House. -- PTI
IMAGE: Roger Stone. Photograph: Jim Young/Reuters
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