Roger Stone open to talking with Mueller in Russia probe

By Doina Chiacu

 

Roger Stone reacts as he walks to microphones after his appearance at Federal Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., January 25, 2019. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roger Stone, an ally of President Donald Trump and a longtime Republican operative, did not rule out on Sunday cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

 

Arrested at his waterfront home in Florida on Friday in a dawn raid by FBI agents, Stone told reporters he would not "bear false witness against the president."

 

Stone was charged with lying to Congress about the Trump campaign's efforts to use stolen emails to undercut Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

 

Asked on ABC's "This Week" if he would cooperate with Mueller, he said: "You know, that's a question I would have to – I have to determine after my attorneys have some discussion."

 

"I'd also testify honestly about any other matter, including any communications with the president," he said. "It's true that we spoke on the phone, but those communications are political in nature, they're benign, and there is certainly no conspiracy with Russia."

 

Stone, 66, will be arraigned in federal court in Washington on Tuesday.

 

Stone's indictment cut deeply into Trump's inner circle and revealed a link between his campaign and WikiLeaks, the online publisher of secret documents, to damage Clinton with material that U.S. intelligence agencies have said was stolen by Russians.

 

Stone shared with Trump campaign staffers advance knowledge that he had of WikiLeaks' plan to release senior Democrats' emails, Mueller said in court papers.

 

The special counsel's indictment also said a top Trump campaign official was directed to contact Stone about additional damaging information that WikiLeaks had on Clinton.

 

Jerome Corsi, a right-wing commentator and conspiracy theorist, said on Friday that he is the "Person 1" cited in the indictment as having communicated with Stone about the stolen emails and WikiLeaks' plan to release them.

 

He also said the information in the indictment was accurate and that he would testify against Stone. "I will be happy to testify," he told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "And I will let the testimony fall wherever it falls."

 

'FIGHT FOR MY LIFE'  

Stone said the evidence in Mueller's indictment was thin, "so I'm prepared to fight for my life."

 

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said, however, that the indictment presented specific allegations of lies and witness intimidation that were unambiguous and provable.

 

"They are very detailed and I think he's going to need a much better defense than the one you just heard," he told ABC.

 

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said working with WikiLeaks should be considered a crime because it was tantamount to cooperating with a foreign intelligence agency.

 

"It should have been clear to people a long time ago that WikiLeaks and others like that could have been tools of foreign intelligence used to divide America," Rubio said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

 

The Kremlin denies U.S. intelligence agencies’ findings that Russia interfered to sway the 2016 election away from Clinton and toward Trump, who denies any collusion.

 

Schiff said his panel would give Mueller access to all transcripts of testimony before the committee, including Trump's son Donald Trump Jr., for prosecution purposes. He also pledged to continue congressional probes of any Trump-Russia ties.

 

"We are determined the public is going to know exactly what Donald Trump did, what his family did, what his campaign did, what the Russians did and what we need to do to protect the country,” Schiff said.

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Lisa Shumaker and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-28

Geez. If only Donald had Hillary come work for him, then he could have kept  his promise to ‘lock her up’. 

Edited January 28, 20197 yr by samran

Talk? Sing!

Noticing how tan Roger always is, I hope he divulges to Mueller and the world the secret formula to Trump's beautiful orange tan regimen.

Its amazing how even supposedly 'hard men' will make a deal when faced with losing their luxuries and good life in Florida 'waterfront homes' when faced with the option of seeing out their remaining years in jail. Better to sing before you find yourself caged.

The indictment against Stone is very spicific in what says about why Stone contacted Wikileaks, the statement is that he was directed by a senior member of the Trump campaign.

 

That can only be Bannon, one of Trump’s kids or Kushner.

 

The specificity of the indictment is a sure sign Mueller knows Stone was directed and he knows who directed him.

 

Stone will sing and Mueller will take down somebody very very close to Trump.

 

And even then the game’s not over.

 

Illiberals get your denial glasses on, the truth will (despite Individual-1’s best efforts) out!

 

 

 

9 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

Its amazing how even supposedly 'hard men' will make a deal when faced with losing their luxuries and good life in Florida 'waterfront homes' when faced with the option of seeing out their remaining years in jail. Better to sing before you find yourself caged.

Stone is a bully.

 

All bullies are cowards.

 

 

I don't think he will have much choice but to cooperate.   The huge number involved in the raid was because they were executing a search warrant (and an arrest warrant).   The main purpose was to get his electronic equipment.   What that says and where it leads is probably far more significant than Stone himself.   

 

The allegation of thuggish behavior by the FBI is hogwash.   It was necessary to preserve and secure any evidence, not simply to arrest a 60+ year old man.

24 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

Its amazing how even supposedly 'hard men' will make a deal when faced with losing their luxuries and good life in Florida 'waterfront homes' when faced with the option of seeing out their remaining years in jail. Better to sing before you find yourself caged.

i don't think many of these guys are hard men, excepting Michael Flynn and perhaps a couple of others.  for the most part,  trumps admin is a bunch of wealthy slimeballs and wanna be gangsters, who have been insulated from the harshness  of life by their wealth.  and trump, mr bone spurs , is at the top of the dung heap. 

the rats are deserting the ship.  this will be an entertaining show.  Said Nancy to Donald:   "Bow down, ass clown"

19 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Stone is a bully.

 

All bullies are cowards.

 

 

that is correct, sir.

 

From everything that I have read and news coverage watched, Roger Stone is a consummate liar and game player, right up there on an equal footing with Trump himself.

He will have to be mighty careful if he lies to the Mueller investigation team. By now he should have learned that Mueller always gets to the bottom of these lies.

And he should have learned that his buddy Trump can't be trusted. Best he does not lie and count on a Trump pardon.

How funny it will be if they all end up in adjoining cells.

Birds of a feather .................

So if Stone was "directed" by Bannon (or someone else) to get information from Wikileaks, was that illegal?   Seems Stone was not charged with anything  related to seeking information.  Lying seems to be the crime, of which he has not been convicted yet.  Let's just let this play out without predicting the fall of Trump quite yet.

Donald is allready distancing himself as best he can as far as mr stone is concerned he doesent have the smarts to put one over on mr mullers (team) there are a lot of very smart people there better start singing my little canary oops stool pigeon lol

5 minutes ago, Trouble said:

So if Stone was "directed" by Bannon (or someone else) to get information from Wikileaks, was that illegal?   Seems Stone was not charged with anything  related to seeking information.  Lying seems to be the crime, of which he has not been convicted yet.  Let's just let this play out without predicting the fall of Trump quite yet.

But predicting "the fall of Trump" is so amusing. Is there any betting odds on this yet?

20 minutes ago, neeray said:

But predicting "the fall of Trump" is so amusing. Is there any betting odds on this yet?

There’s nothing amusing about it.

 

Many of us believe, with vey good reason to do so, that Trump is Putin’s puppet, paid for and owned by the Kremlin.

It seems like everyone around Trump lies.  Over and over again.  To the American public, for sure.  But even to federal investigators.  They mimic Trump of course, but that doesn't tell the whole story.  Something's going on....

 

[The remaining question — for both Mueller’s team, as it works on a final investigative report, and for the American people — is why.]

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-advisers-lied-over-and-over-again-mueller-says-the-question-is-why/ar-BBSN7ef?ocid=wispr

 

The guy comes across as being very arrogant (not exactly a Robinson Crusoe event within the Trump circle) and I suspect he believes  he could handle a Mueller interrogation. Will be interesting to see what he gives up.

2 minutes ago, Sir Swagman said:

The guy comes across as being very arrogant (not exactly a Robinson Crusoe event within the Trump circle) and I suspect he believes  he could handle a Mueller interrogation. Will be interesting to see what he gives up.

Yup, he has that same con-man, uninformed arrogance that Trump has. Again, a lawyer's worst nightmare. He is already all over the TV and airwaves. He will put his foot in it just like Trump, except he doesn't have the power of the Presidency.

1 hour ago, neeray said:

But predicting "the fall of Trump" is so amusing. Is there any betting odds on this yet?

Indeed. 

Remember, Trump is playing the long game. 

4 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Indeed. 

Remember, Trump is playing the long game. 

Sort of like El Chapo, John Gotti, Whitey Bulger.....that kind of long game?  Didn't work out too well for those dudes. 

8 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Indeed. 

Remember, Trump is playing the long game. 

Not for long.  ????

I think it’s called the long con not the long game

I bet he is going to turn into a yellow belly cannery, and really sing...

 

 

I guess the curious question is~why are all of these people lying about their contacts with Russians?  It is a bit strange, since telling the truth much easier ????

I like the phrasing: he i s"open to talk" to Mueller!

That is so nice of him, to take out a few minutes out his busy crookery and criminal- schedule, to talk for a while!

 

35 minutes ago, DM07 said:

I like the phrasing: he i s"open to talk" to Mueller!

That is so nice of him, to take out a few minutes out his busy crookery and criminal- schedule, to talk for a while!

 

Yes, and "honestly" : "“If there’s wrongdoing by other people in the campaign that I know about, which I know of none, but if there is I would certainly testify honestly.” “I’d also testify honestly about any other matter, including any communications with the president,” Stone said Sunday.

 

Edited January 28, 20197 yr by Opl

6 hours ago, Tug said:

Donald is allready distancing himself as best he can as far as mr stone is concerned he doesent have the smarts to put one over on mr mullers (team) there are a lot of very smart people there better start singing my little canary oops stool pigeon lol

But he can't distance himself from himself! 

Archeology 101:

 

Standing Stone:

 

 

Lying Stone:

Love this tweet by author Stephen King today:

 

Quote

Another Trump insider appears bound for the old (Roger)stone hotel. How long before Trump supporters realize that you don’t surround yourself with dirty guys unless you’re dirty yourself?