White house distances Trump from Mueller indictment probe

WHITE HOUSE —
The White House went on the defensive Monday, distancing President Donald Trump from charges filed against two former campaign aides by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in connection with the probe into Russia's attempt to influence last year's presidential election.

The pair, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and longtime business associate Rick Gates, were named in a 12-count indictment Monday charging money laundering, tax evasion and other violations. They pleaded not guilty Monday in a federal court in Washington.

At Monday's White House briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders emphasized that the indictment made no mention of Trump or of any collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia.

Rick Gates, a former campaign official for U.S. President Donald Trump, departs U.S. District Court in Washington, Oct. 30, 2017.
"Today's announcement has nothing to do with the president, has nothing to do with the president's campaign or campaign activity," Sanders said. "We've been saying from day one there's no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all."

Sanders also said the White House has been given an indication that Mueller's Russia probe would end soon.

The press secretary rejected a reporter's suggestions that the activities of a volunteer Trump foreign policy adviser could be seen as evidence of collusion.

The adviser, George Papadopoulus, pleaded guilty in July to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials. He could face up to five years in jail.

Sanders on Monday called Papadopoulus a low-level unpaid campaign volunteer whose illegal activities were not campaign-related. "It has nothing to do with the activities of the campaign, it has to do with his failure to tell the truth.

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