Steve Bannon is the 'high-ranking' Trump official in Roger Stone indictment who asked about future WikiLeaks releases in October 2016
- Former White House chief strategist and Trump campaign CEO Steve Bannon is the unidentified "high-ranking Trump campaign official" in special counsel Robert Mueller's indictment of Roger Stone, CNBC has learned.
- This source added that Bannon has spoken with Mueller's team, along with the Senate Intelligence Committee, about the exchange.
Former White House chief strategist and Trump campaign CEO Steve Bannon is the unidentified "high-ranking Trump campaign official" in special counsel Robert Mueller's indictment of Roger Stone, CNBC has learned.
The indictment released Friday said the campaign official reached out to Stone in October 2016, a month before President Donald Trump was elected, "about the status of future releases by Organization 1." The unidentified organization clearly refers to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.
Bannon is the campaign official, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.
This person, who declined to be named, added that Bannon has spoken with Mueller's team, along with the Senate Intelligence Committee, about the exchange.
Attorneys for Bannon and Stone declined to comment. Bannon did not return requests for comment. The special counsel's office declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Within the indictment that led to Stone's predawn arrest Friday in Florida, the special counsel describes an interaction between what a source says is Bannon and Stone.
"On or about October 4, 2016, the head of Organization 1 held a press conference but did not release any new materials pertaining to the Clinton Campaign. Shortly afterwards, STONE received an email from the high-ranking Trump Campaign official asking about the status of future releases by Organization 1," the indictment reads. "STONE answered that the head of Organization 1 had a "[s]erious security concern" but that Organization 1 would release "a load every week going forward."
The email exchange was first reported by The New York Times in November.
Stone, a long-time Trump political advisor, faces seven counts, including witness tampering, obstruction of justice and making false statements to Congress.
He was released after posting on a $250,000 bond.