Prosecutors say Roger Stone lied to Congress because 'the truth looked bad for Donald Trump'


Prosecutors say Roger Stone lied to Congress and impeded its investigation into election interference because if he told the truth, it would look "bad" for President Trump.
Stone, a longtime adviser to Trump, has pleaded not guilty to charges of obstruction of an official proceeding, witness tampering, and making false statements, and prosecutors allege he lied to Congress while facing questions about his knowledge of WikiLeaks' plans to release stolen emails damaging to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.
Prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky said Wednesday that Stone "lied to the House Intelligence Committee because the truth looked bad for the Trump campaign, and the truth looked bad for Donald Trump," The Washington Post reports. Stone allegedly made numerous false statements to Congress, including when he said he never talked to the Trump campaign about WikiLeaks' plans.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In fact, Zelinsky said that Stone provided regular updates to members of the Trump campaign about WikiLeaks, and he allegedly emailed Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort in August 2016 about how to "save Trump's ass," reports Vox's Andrew Prokop. This email was allegedly sent after Stone had already emailed a friend in London to see if he could get into contact with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
A day after Stone emailed Manafort about this plan to "save" Trump, he made a prediction on his radio show of a "devastating" WikiLeaks release, notes CNN's Andrew Kaczynski. Stone also allegedly emailed Steve Bannon to say that he knew how Trump could win, but "it ain't pretty," and he allegedly spoke with Trump over the phone the day the DNC said it had been hacked in June 2016. Stone has denied being aware of WikiLeaks' plans.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US