Pelosi Says Trump's Connections to Russia 'Bothersome' Amid Roger Stone Arrest
The arrest of US President Donald Trump's former campaign advisor Roger Stone in the ongoing Russia investigation highlights the president's "bothersome" connections to Moscow, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in on Friday
"It is very interesting to see the kinds of people that the president of the United States has surrounded himself with," Pelosi told reporters at the US Capitol. "But it is also bothersome to see [Trump's] connections to Russia and the president's suggestions that we should question whether we should be in NATO, which is a dream come true for Vladimir Putin."
White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an interview that Stone's arrest has nothing to do with the president or the White House.
Earlier on Friday, the US Office of the Special Counsel confirmed in a statement that Stone was arrested in Florida and charged with witness tampering, obstruction of proceeding and making false statements related to Russia's alleged interference in the US 2016 election.
In particular, Stone has been charged with making false statements regarding the alleged hacking of the Democratic Party's networks during the 2016 election that has been blamed on Russian hackers.
"This connection to the integrity of our elections is obviously something we have to get to the truth about," Pelosi said.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.
Trump has characterized the investigation as a political witch hunt that has not produced evidence in two years.
Russian officials have repeatedly denied meddling in the US election, saying the allegations were invented to excuse the election loss of a presidential candidate as well as deflect public attention from actual instances of election fraud and corruption.