Washington (CNN) Roger Stone, a longtime Republican campaign adviser and confidant of President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning to seven criminal charges of false statements, witness tampering and obstruction of justice.

Special counsel Robert Mueller and the US attorney for the District of Columbia have accused Stone of lying to congressional investigators about his communications regarding WikiLeaks' publication of stolen emails meant to damage Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016. In one charge, he is accused of threatening a contact of his whose congressional testimony about WikiLeaks would contradict Stone's.

The indictment also describes how Stone allegedly coordinated with top Trump campaign officials about his outreach to WikiLeaks.

The scene in the courtroom was muted, as Stone was surrounded by several members of the Mueller team that he has spent nearly two years attacking publicly.

Read More