Mueller Rejects Stone's Claim That CNN Was Arrested

Special advocate Robert MuellerRobert Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud Mueller's choice to lead the investigation on Russia is pushing back Roger StoneRoger Jason StoneWhite House prepares for Mueller Hillicon Valley report: Trump insists on accelerating deployment of 5G technology | Judge Strikes Roger Stone With Full Gag | Google ends forced arbitration | Advertisers leave YouTube after the report on the ring of pedophilia Judge imposes on Roger Stone to show gaggingThe statement that Mueller's office informed CNN before the longtime ally of President TrumpDonald John TrumpSchiff urges GOP colleagues to publicly share their concerns about Trump. The US-China trade talks are drawing criticism for the lack of women in pictures. Night Defense: Trump will leave 200 soldiers in Syria | Trump and Kim plan an individual meeting | Pentagon asks DHS to justify transfer of funds for border wall MORE was arrested at his Florida home last month.

"The Special Council Office is not aware of any information indicating that the rapporteurs have been informed in advance of any possible indictment from the Special Council Office" , wrote the prosecutor in a footnote of a new case filed Friday.

Last week, Stone asked the court to order the special council office to show that he was violating his decisions and handed the press his sealed indictment prior to his arrest during a spectacular FBI raid on Jan. 25. l & # 39; dawn.

CNN press teams were present to film the event.

In his application to court, Stone stated that the news reporter had received a rough draft of the indictment that appeared to come from the office of the special counsel.

"The metadata on the" draft indictment "provided by a journalist during the arrest of Stone established that they came from an author or computer of" AAW "", explain his lawyers in the request. "The fact that a member of the office of the special adviser bears the initials" AAW "argues in favor of a reasonable inference that this office is responsible for the unlawful public disclosure of a document of the grand jury sealed by court order. "

Even Trump himself suggested that CNN had been warned in a tweet sent on the day of Stone's arrest:

The biggest witch hunt in the history of our country! NO COLLUSION! Border Coyotes, drug traffickers and human traffickers are better treated. Who warned CNN to be there?

– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2019

But in Friday 's response, Mueller said Stone' s record indicated that the indictment had not been made public until 6:11 am, after the 6:06 arrest.

Regarding the metadata in the document pointed by Stone, Mueller said that "just shows when the document was created, not when the document was published".

Stone's lawyers responded late Friday, saying Mueller had misread the order. They said that the indictment was not unsealed until Mueller's office informed the court of Stone's arrest, not at the minute that He was stopped.

"The argument of the government assumes that it is not the court that has the authority to untie the court record," said his lawyers.

CNN publicly denied Stone's claim that she was informed of her arrest. The outlet has credited good instincts, stubborn reporting and a bit of luck for the early morning scoop.

"Takeovers are a common practice in the information sector – in fact, CNN has asked another team to participate in a surveillance in another state the same morning," the network said in a statement. online. "The crew was staying with another player on the Mueller probe, suspected of being arrested, but that intuition did not break out."

Stone has been charged with seven counts resulting from Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and a possible collusion with the Trump campaign. He is accused of obstructing a congressional investigation, manipulating witnesses and making false statements in Congress. He pleaded not guilty.

-Updated at 17:10.