House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday night said the arrest of Trump ally Roger Stone showed there was a “deliberate, coordinated attempt” by Trump officials to subvert the 2016 election.
The California Democrat also asked what leverage Russian President Vladimir Putin had on President Trump.
“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,” Pelosi said in a statement released as the government shutdown ended on Friday.
“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?”
Pelosi also asked why Trump has floated the idea of pulling the US out of NATO — a foreign policy goal of Russia — and stressed the importance of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
“The House will continue to exercise our constitutional oversight responsibility and ensure that the Special Counsel investigation can continue free from interference from the White House,” the statement read.
The statement from the Democratic leader was released on the day that Stone — a former adviser to Trump — became the latest Trump ally to be indicted by Mueller.
Stone allegedly lied about his pursuit of stolen emails that were damaging to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. He has insisted he is innocent.
Trump has continued to dismiss the Mueller investigation, tweeting on Friday that the probe is “the Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country!”