Trump rails against the media, calls Papadopoulos a 'low level volunteer' and 'liar' in tweets after Mueller's day of indictments
- President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to denounce his former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos.
- Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials, as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russia's meddling in the 2016 US election.
- Trump's campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Manafort's former business associate Rick Gates were indicted by a grand jury, and pleaded not guilty on Monday to 12 counts.
Rising early on Halloween morning, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to denounce his presidential campaign's foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials.
Trump called him a "low level volunteer," a line that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders used during the briefing on Monday, as well.
The president also doubled down on his assertion that there was "no collusion" between his campaign and Moscow, as special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating. Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and Manafort's former business associate Rick Gates were indicted by a grand jury, and pleaded not guilty on Monday to 12 counts.
"The Fake News is working overtime. As Paul Manaforts [sic] lawyer said, there was 'no collusion' and events mentioned took place long before he came to the campaign," Trump tweeted. "Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar. Check the DEMS!"
On Monday, Trump questioned why his Democratic presidential opponent Hillary Clinton wasn't the focus of the investigation.
News of the indictments derailed the highly anticipated Republican tax plan rollout this week to a "sideshow." Trump attempted to shift focus to taxes in a subsequent tweet on Tuesday.
"I hope people will start to focus on our Massive Tax Cuts for Business (jobs) and the Middle Class (in addition to Democrat corruption)!" Trump tweeted.