U.S. President George W. Bush said on Saturday he was disappointed and saddened by the arrest of former senior White House aide Claude Allen on theft charges.

"If the allegations are true, something went wrong in Claude Allen's life. And that is really sad," Bush said after a meeting with military leaders on Iraq.

Allen, who stepped down last month as Bush's top domestic policy adviser, was arrested this week in Maryland on charges he swindled two stores out of more than $5,000, according to media reports.

"When I heard the story last night I was shocked and my first reaction was one of disappointment, deep disappointment, that, if it's true, that we were not fully informed," Bush added. "But it was also one where, shortly thereafter I felt really sad for the Allen family."

Allen, a former deputy secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services, was appointed the president's top domestic policy adviser last year at the start of Bush's second term.

"If the allegations are true, Claude Allen did not tell my chief of staff and legal counsel the truth and that's deeply disappointing," Bush said.