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Trump ally Stone pleads not guilty to Russia probe charges


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Trump ally Stone pleads not guilty to Russia probe charges

By Sarah N. Lynch

 

2019-01-29T153027Z_1_LYNXNPEF0S17I_RTROPTP_3_USA-TRUMP-RUSSIA.JPG

Roger Stone, longtime political ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives for his arraignment at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's longtime political ally Roger Stone pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges that he tried to obstruct a congressional investigation into allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election.

 

Stone, a self-proclaimed "dirty trickster" and Republican political operative for decades, pleaded not guilty in a federal court in Washington, D.C., to lying to Congress, obstructing an official proceeding and witness tampering.

 

He is the latest member of Trump's inner circle charged in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and could face about 50 years in prison if found guilty on all the charges, although he is unlikely to receive such a harsh sentence, sentencing experts say.

 

Prosecutors say Stone, 66, lied to investigators for the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee who were looking into allegations that Russia hacked the emails of senior Democrats.

 

The indictment against Stone also says he told members of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign that he had advance knowledge of plans by the WikiLeaks website to release damaging emails about Trump's Democratic opponent in 2016, Hillary Clinton. U.S. intelligence agencies say the emails were stolen by Russia.

 

Stone, a Republican operative since the days of the Watergate scandal that forced President Richard Nixon to resign in 1974, has been a friend and ally of Trump for some 40 years.

 

Usually exuberant, Stone clenched his jaws as he sat quietly waiting for the judge in the courtroom. He then responded to the judge's questions with courteous, clipped answers.

 

Outside after the hearing, Stone flashed the twin "V for Victory" signs that Nixon was famous for but did not address the media.

A small group of protesters waved Russian flags and a placard that said "Dirty Traitor" while his supporters called for Mueller to be fired.

 

The indictment did not indicate whether Stone knew that Russians had stolen the emails by hacking into computers used by Clinton's senior campaign adviser John Podesta and the Democratic National Committee.

 

The charges against Stone marked the first time Mueller's team has publicly tied the Trump campaign to WikiLeaks, and raised questions about what Trump may have known prior to the public release of the stolen emails.

 

Stone, who is free on a $250,000 bond after being arrested at his Florida home last week, has accused Mueller of "a raw abuse of power."

 

Trump has called the investigation a witch hunt and denied collusion. Russia has denied U.S. intelligence community's finding that Moscow interfered in the U.S. political arena.

 

Thirty-four people have been swept up in the Mueller investigation. Those charged include Trump's former campaign chairman and deputy campaign chairman, former national security adviser and his former personal lawyer.

 

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Aye Min Thant; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Bill Trott)

 

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-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-30
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Well you can’t blame him for trying, he’s facing the rest of his life in prison.

 

Though even if he doesn’t know, then his lawyers surely do, that perjury is almost always an open and shut case.

 

Mueller is nailing him on easily proven crimes while he lines up the more serious stuff for Stone’s inevitable ‘co-operation’.

 

Stone needs to take a long hard look at Manafort, it’ll help him focus on what he needs to do.

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Stone doing back-to-back tv appearances and press conferences. Over 20 separate interviews on most of the major networks in just 4 days.

 

He knows he can't win with a valid legal defence. However he understands the importance of controlling the story to try to influence events. That is what he is doing, ever the showman.

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9 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Mueller is nailing him on easily proven crimes while he lines up the more serious stuff for Stone’s inevitable ‘co-operation’.

Perhaps unnecessary if Mueller can force Andrew Miller, who once worked as an aide to Trump ally Roger Stone, to testify before a grand jury in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

Miller attempted to quash his subpoena, but a judge ruled six months ago that he would have to testify.

Miller has been held in contempt of court for refusing to testify before a grand jury in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-roger-stone-aide-held-in-contempt-for-refusing-to-testify-in-russia-investigation

He now claims that Muller's investigation is illegal and appealing the court's decision.

I think we've already seen this tactic played already with Manafort and others - and lost.

Meanwhile Mueller has obtained substantial evidence such as e-mails from Miller that potentially can be used to make further indictments against Stone.

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What is it with Trump disciples that constantly refer to "Hilary".

Was she not cleared by the FBI of any deliberate wrongdoing years ago.

Is she still in a political position? Is she still relevant?

So why the constant deflection by trumpeteers? 

 

Can you ever imagine that Putin would declare that on information gathered by Russian intelligence services,

he had ordered interference with US elections.  "yeah, I ordered it" lol So why is he constantly denying it.

You say it once and then quit harping on it if you are not guilty.

Does anyone expect that Stone is going to say "yeah, I did help Russia to influence the outcome"? 

Well not until a plea bargaining deal.

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9 hours ago, Prissana Pescud said:

What is it with Trump disciples that constantly refer to "Hilary".

Was she not cleared by the FBI of any deliberate wrongdoing years ago.

Is she still in a political position? Is she still relevant?

So why the constant deflection by trumpeteers? 

 

Can you ever imagine that Putin would declare that on information gathered by Russian intelligence services,

he had ordered interference with US elections.  "yeah, I ordered it" lol So why is he constantly denying it.

You say it once and then quit harping on it if you are not guilty.

Does anyone expect that Stone is going to say "yeah, I did help Russia to influence the outcome"? 

Well not until a plea bargaining deal.

I said it many times: there is no use in discussing anything with these people.

They are just living in a different reality!

One, where climate change is not happening, because you shiver, when you get out of the shower!

One, where Hillary, her eMails and Benghazi still are the greatest unsolved crimes of the century!

One, where wheels are older than walls and walls keep crime out of the USA!

One, where more guns circulating make everybody a lot safer!

 

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