Lindsey Graham demands answers from FBI about raid at Roger Stone's home — and whether CNN was tipped off

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray demanding answers to questions about the raid on Roger Stone's home and whether CNN was tipped off.

Roger Stone has been a longtime friend and previous campaign aide to President Donald Trump. The FBI raided his home in conjunction with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference and alleged collusion with the Trump campaign.

Graham posted his questions to Wray in a thread on Twitter.

"Why was it necessary to arrest Mr. Stone at his home in the early morning hours, rather than working through his attorneys to permit him to surrender voluntarily?" he asked.

"Was the manner of Mr. Stone's arrest consistent with the arrests of, and procedures for the arrests of, similarly charged individuals?" he added in another tweet. "Were usual procedures for obtaining and executing arrest and search warrants followed with regard to Mr. Stone?"

"Did the Special Counsel's office issue a press release and release the indictment to the press prior to informing Mr. Stone's attorneys of the arrest?" he continued. "Did anyone at the FBI, DOJ, or the Special Counsel's office alert CNN, any other media outlet, or anyone outside of law enforcement that the arrest was going to occur on the morning of January 25, 2019?"

Graham was referring to the observation by some that CNN appeared to be tipped off about the raid since they were able to video record part of it. CNN has denied the claim, saying that they had sent reporters because they noticed peculiar motions in court the evening prior to the raid.

President Trump tweeted about the accusation in a tweet reacting to Stone's arrest.

"Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION!" he tweeted.

"Border Coyotes, Drug Dealers and Human Traffickers are treated better. Who alerted CNN to be there?"

Graham continued to explain his concerns about the manner in which the arrest of Stone was conducted.

"Since his appointment, I have supported Special Counsel Mueller's ability to conduct his investigation without interference," Graham added. "Moreover, I have always been a strong admirer and supporter of the FBI."

"However, while I firmly support law enforcement taking into account threats to officer safety, flight risk, and the need to ensure evidence is preserved," he explained, "I am leery that a subject of the Special Counsel's investigation, who had retained counsel, had publicly stated that he believed that he would at some point be indicted, and was apparently willing to surrender voluntarily, was arrested in a pre-dawn raid at his home."

The letter asked that Wray answer the questions by February 5.

The indictment claimed there was evidence that Stone had threatened Randy Credico, his associate, and his dog.

Here's more about the FBI raid on Roger Stone: