Nancy Pelosi: ‘What Does Putin Have On The President?’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a strongly-worded statement today, asking: “What does Putin have on the President, politically, personally or financially?”
What prompted Pelosi’s statement was the indictment of longtime Republican operative and former Trump campaign official Roger Stone.
As detailed by a previous Inquisitr report, Stone was arrested at his Fort Lauderdale home earlier today, following a grand jury indictment. The Republican was indicted in the District of Columbia on seven counts: five counts of making false statements, one count of obstruction, and one count of witness tampering.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office alleges that Stone told senior Trump campaign officials about emails in possession of the whistleblower organization WikiLeaks, prompting campaign officials to direct him to ask for more dirt on Trump’s then-opponent, Hillary Clinton.
In an interview with CNN, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders downplayed the accusations brought against Stone, claiming that they have “nothing to do” with Donald Trump. The president himself took to Twitter to criticize the FBI’s treatment of his associate, describing once again Robert Mueller’s investigation as a “witch hunt.”
According to Pelosi, Stone’s indictment “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 Speaker further states that it is “staggering” that Donald Trump has surrounded himself with individuals who “violated the integrity” of American democracy, and “lied” to Congress, and to the FBI about their wrongdoings.
NEW: In response to Roger Stone's indictment, Nancy Pelosi has issued a statement questioning Trump's ties to Vladimir Putin and warning the president not to interfere in the Mueller investigation. https://t.co/53eGdKMqVB
— Axios (@axios) January 26, 2019
According to Nancy Pelosi, Donald Trump’s “continued actions to undermine” Robert Mueller’s investigation pose a series of legitimate questions about the president’s relationship with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“Why has the Trump Administration continued to discuss pulling the U.S. out of NATO, which would be a massive victory for Putin?”
Pelosi concluded her statement vowing that the House of Representatives will “continue to exercise” its constitutional responsibilities, in an effort to ensure that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with the Trump campaign remains free from White House influence.
The Hill notes that this is not the first time for the Speaker to raise questions about Donald Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin. Pelosi has done so on numerous occasions, frequently suggesting that Putin “has something” on Trump.
President Donald Trump has continually denied any wrongdoing, alleging bias, and referring to Robert Mueller’s Russia probe as a “witch hunt.” In a Twitter message posted today, Trump called the special counsel’s investigation “the greatest witch hunt in history.”
