The Nixon Foundation launched diversionary tactics Friday to distance President Richard Nixon from GOP strategist Roger Stone. But it wasn’t so easy.

Stone, the longtime confidant of President Donald Trump, was arrested Friday on criminal charges that include obstruction of an official proceeding, false statements and witness tampering. Stone cut his teeth on campaigning for Nixon ― he has a tattoo of Nixon on his back). But the Nixon Foundation pointed out that Stone was just 16 years old during Nixon’s 1968 campaign.

This morning’s widely-circulated characterization of Roger Stone as a Nixon campaign aide or adviser is a gross misstatement. Mr. Stone was 16 years old during the Nixon presidential campaign of 1968 and 20 years old during the reelection campaign of 1972. 1/2 — Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) January 25, 2019

The foundation conceded that Stone did serve as a “junior scheduler” on Nixon’s 1972 re-election campaign while Stone was a student at George Washington University.

Mr. Stone, during his time as a student at George Washington University, was a junior scheduler on the Nixon reelection committee. Mr. Stone was not a campaign aide or adviser. Nowhere in the Presidential Daily Diaries from 1972 to 1974 does the name "Roger Stone" appear. 2/2 — Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) January 25, 2019

But Stone was widely linked to Nixon campaign “dirty tricks” by media reports at the time and was mentioned in an FBI investigation report. The foundation failed to mention that — and Twitter wags were too happy to point it out.

Well, it does however appear in the FBI files. So I mean, there is that... pic.twitter.com/bW3CCZQYiw — Alternative NOAA (@altNOAA) January 26, 2019

Ha Ha. YOU cannot disavow Roger Stone. He was involved with the Young Republicans [we used to joke, in those days, that there was no such thing as a YOUNG Republican], and he was involved in several DIRTY TRICKS. He is always up to no good in politics. — Linda Zagraniczny (@LZagraniczny) January 25, 2019

Nixon folks might well want to distance themselves from Stone, but the record is clear. pic.twitter.com/3TE2oB0ikc — Rick Petree (@RickPetree) January 25, 2019

Another president attempting to distance himself from Stone was Trump, who tweeted late Saturday that Stone “didn’t even work for me anywhere near the election!”

....about all of the one sided Fake Media coverage (collusion with Crooked H?) that I had to endure during my very successful presidential campaign. What about the now revealed bias by Facebook and many others. Roger Stone didn’t even work for me anywhere near the Election! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2019

Twitter followers loved the Nixon Foundation scramble.

Roger Stone needs to stop besmirching the good name of Richard Nixon. — Tukarrs🆓 (@Tukarrs) January 25, 2019

“Coffee Boy’d” by Nixon from the dead. Ouch. — da5id (@da5idblacksun) January 26, 2019

When not even Nixon’s foundation wants any association with you. — Megan LeBlanc (@msmeganl) January 25, 2019

Wouldn’t want to tarnish Nixon’s good name. — Jeremias (@harvydas) January 25, 2019

Maybe we’ll discover that the White House is like the Overlook Hotel in #TheShining. Somewhere on its walls are photographs of the staffs of all these notorious administrations through the years. And in each one of these appears the face of Roger Stone. — My Work Here Is Done 🇺🇸 (@MyWorkHeresDone) January 26, 2019

Nope. There’s video footage of them together many times. Watch “Get Me Roger Stone” pic.twitter.com/NIxU4dpGDT — Nik Wojcik (@nik_shine) January 25, 2019

It's pretty bad when Nixon's people disavow someone because it may damage Nixon's reputation. — Robin Littlefield (@therealrkl) January 25, 2019

Yeah, they barely knew each other. pic.twitter.com/TIguNEnd0E — ry (@RyanTCarroll) January 25, 2019

Look, we’re not saying Stone is a disciple of Nixon. Wait...yes we are.



Carry on with your denial. Better for everyone than if you had said nothing at all. — #SnapeWasTheHero (@NerdyInNOLA) January 26, 2019