Prosecutors say Roger Stone lied to Congress because 'the truth looked bad for Donald Trump'
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
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.
-
6 of the world’s most accessible destinationsThe Week Recommends Experience all of Berlin, Singapore and Sydney
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
