White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway has shrugged off latest developments in the Russia probe.
Speaking on ‘Fox and Friends’ this morning she said the White House was not aware of what could happen next.
It comes as Trump’s ex-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort has handed himself into the FBI.
Conway said of earlier reports that charges were coming: “we don’t even know that it has anything to do with the campaign.”
Conway added that the administration is fully cooperating with the probe, but noted that the president has dismissed it as a “hoax.”
President Donald Trump on Monday responded to charges against former campaign manager Paul Manafort by saying the allegations predated his tenure on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, but the indictment states the activities continued into 2017.
“Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren’t Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????” Trump wrote, referring to his former Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
The indictment says Manafort and associate Rick Gates conspired to defraud the United States “from in or about and between 2006 and 2017.”
Wall Street opened lower on Monday, pulling back from a strong rally last week, as investors assessed the fallout of the first charges in connection with a probe into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager for Trump, surrendered to federal authorities in connection with the investigation, according to reports.
“The market could be awakening to the fact that the political situation is coming back into focus … that could cap the market from moving higher,” said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial.
The ongoing investigation and its outcome could distract the administration from its efforts to overhaul the tax system and push through other policies, analysts have said.
Investors also awaited the announcement on the nomination of the new Federal Reserve chief, expected later this week. Trump is leaning toward nominating Fed Governor Jerome Powell, considered a moderate, to be the next Fed chair, sources said.