(CNN) Former aides to the Trump presidential campaign viewed the latest indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday with a mix of shock and satisfaction.

Aides insisted the indictment against 13 Russians serves as proof that there was no widespread collusion with President Donald Trump's campaign. But some were also aghast at the lengths to which Russians went to manipulate unsuspecting campaign aides as part of an attempt to influence the 2016 election and wreak havoc on the US electoral process.

"I was pleased to see the special counsel called us unwitting, because we were," said Susie Wiles, who took the helm of Trump's presidential campaign in Florida in September 2016. To her knowledge, she wasn't in contact with any Russians during the campaign, Wiles said.

Wiles said there were roughly 70,000 volunteers across the sprawling battleground state and the campaign was constantly inundated with offers to assist the campaign or to host events. The campaign would then evaluate whether it seemed like a credible offer or a host they wanted to be associated with.

The notion that a foreign adversary might be targeting campaign officials never occurred to them, Wiles said.

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