photo credit: Cornelius O’Donoghue // Shutterstock

Roger Stone, a longtime adviser and confidant of President Donald Trump, has pleaded not guilty to charges in the Russia investigation. He faces charges that he lied to lawmakers, engaged in witness tampering and obstructed a congressional investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The indictment does not accuse Stone of coordinating with Russia, but it does alleged that he misled lawmakers about his intent of communication with Russia.

Stone says he did nothing more than exercise his First Amendment rights to spark interest with voters about the WikiLeaks disclosures. He said he never discussed the issue with Trump.

Stone was arrested on Friday at his home in Florida, making his first court appearance on Tuesday.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said Monday that the investigation is “close to being completed,” although an exact timetable is unclear.

Source: WITN