Political consultant Roger Stone said he had a minimal relationship with Trump campaign official Rick Gates, after a report published Thursday said special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into the relationship between Stone and Gates.
Stone told the Daily Caller that he only met Gates once.
“[I] only attended one dinner with Gates and New York Trump campaign officials to discuss the selection of New York delegates to the Republican National Convention after Trump swept the New York Primary,” Stone said.
Stone even added that originally he was supposed to meet with then-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, but he canceled at the last minute and sent Gates in his place.
The former Trump political consultant said that he never attending any meetings with Gates at Trump Tower and never had “any substantive meetings with Gates elsewhere.” He also noted that, even though CNBC reported the two worked together in the 1980s, Stone has no memory of Gates from that time period.
Stone’s attorney Robert Buschel told CNBC Thursday that the two had no “meaningful” or “substantive” interactions during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Gates was indicted and pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and making false claims to investigators.
