President Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE maintains that he is not responsible for Roger Stone Roger Jason StoneOur Constitution is under attack by Attorney General William Barr Justice IG investigating Stone sentencing: report Romney says Trump's protest tweets 'clearly intended to further inflame racial tensions' MORE's alleged efforts to contact WikiLeaks during the 2016 election to learn about damaging information the site planned to release about Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJoe Biden looks to expand election battleground into Trump country Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden goes on offense MORE.

In an interview with The New York Times, Trump was questioned by Times reporters as to whether he is the unnamed Trump campaign official accused in court documents of directing Stone to contact WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Trump denied that he had directed such an action.

ADVERTISEMENT

“No, I didn’t. I never did,” he said when asked if he had spoken with Stone about the stolen emails. “Never did,” he added, when asked if he had instructed another campaign official to talk to Stone.

The remarks are some of Trump's first public comments on the arrest of Stone, a longtime adviser who was hit with multiple charges last week related to the Russia investigation.

Stone pleaded not guilty to witness tampering, obstruction and other charges on Tuesday, while blasting the large FBI presence that arrived at his Florida residence in the early hours of last Friday morning to arrest him.

“The idea that a 29-member SWAT team in full tactical gear with assault weapons would surround my house, 17 vehicles in my front yard, including two armored vehicles, a helicopter overhead … and that I would open the door looking down the barrel of assault weapons, that I would be frog-marched out front barefooted, handcuffed when they simply could have contacted me,” he said, calling the move "Gestapo tactics" in later interviews.

In the same interview Thursday with the Times, Trump maintained that Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE's team has informed him and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Rod RosensteinDOJ kept investigators from completing probe of Trump ties to Russia: report Five takeaways from final Senate Intel Russia report FBI officials hid copies of Russia probe documents fearing Trump interference: book MORE that he is not a target of the probe.

“He told the attorneys that I’m not a subject, I’m not a target,” Trump said.