Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates testified in federal court on Tuesday the now-president’s “campaign was in a state of happiness” after the WikiLeaks release of Democratic National Committee campaign emails in July 2016. “The campaign was in a state of happiness,” Gates told jurors during Roger Stone’s trial before calling the announcement “a gift,” according to Vox. “Any time you’re in a campaign and damaging information came out about your competitor, it’s helpful.” Gates testified that after the dump of thousands of private conversations between Hillary Clinton and her team, Stone indicated in a phone call to then-candidate Trump that “more information would be coming.”
Prosecutors allege Stone, a longtime Trump and Republican Party adviser, knowingly lied to Congress about his interactions with WikiLeaks to protect the president during a September 2017 interview. He has pleaded not guilty to several charges that were a part of an offshoot from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Gates was also hit with charges last year from Mueller’s investigation, and testified against his former friend as part of his plea agreement.
