In the White House briefing room Monday, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sought to downplay the recent indictments of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates.
“Today’s announcement has nothing to do with the president or the president’s campaign or campaign activity,” said Sanders. “The real collusion scandal, as we’ve said several times before, has everything to do with the Clinton campaign, Fusion GPS, and Russia. There’s clear evidence of the Clinton campaign colluding with Russian intelligence to spread disinformation and smear the president and influence the election.”
Sanders’ remarks echo a tweet Trump issued on the matter earlier this morning, insisting that the real story was Clinton.
Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren’t Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2017
….Also, there is NO COLLUSION!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2017
In addition to the Manafort and Gates indictments — and perhaps more significant for the Trump administration — news also emerged on Monday that George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, had pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI.