Summary: During a probe from the House Intelligence Committee, Roger Stone denied colluding with Russians to help Donald Trump win the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton.
On Tuesday, Roger Stone testified in front of lawmakers on Russia’s alleged involvement in the 2016 Presidential election. According to The New York Post, the longtime Donald Trump confident was “defiant” and accused House members of spreading lies about his involvement.
“Multiple members of this committee have made false allegations against me in public session in order to ensure that these bogus charges received maximum media coverage,” Stone said. “Now, however, you deny me the opportunity to respond to these charges in the same open forum. This is cowardice.”
Stone served as a campaign advisor for Trump, when he was running against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He said that his tactics to win were not unusual for any political consultant.
“While some may label me a dirty trickster, the members of this committee could not point to any tactic that is outside the accepted norms of what political strategists and consultants do today,” Stone said. “I do not engage in any illegal activities on behalf of my clients or the causes in which I support. There is one ‘trick’ that is not in my bag, and that is treason.”
During the closed House Intelligence Committee meeting on Tuesday, he said that he resented claims that he would work with Russia to influence the election.
“As someone whose political activism was born from the anti-communism of Senator Barry Goldwater and President Ronald Reagan; and whose freedom seeking family members were mowed-down by Russian tanks on the streets of Budapest in 1956, I deeply resent any allegation that I would collude with the oppressive Russian state to affect the outcome of the 2016 presidential election,” Stone said.
Today’s testimony took four hours, according to NBC News. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have also testified before a congressional committee about their knowledge of Russian collusion. Like Stone, Trump’s family members denied any wrongdoing.
While Stone’s accusations against the Committee seemed argumentative, he said in an interview afterwards that he was treated fairly.
“There were certainly some partisan clashes and maybe some disagreements, I would say some differences of opinion, but nothing that made me uncomfortable,” Stone said to NBC News.
Stone also revealed that he has not been contacted by the FBI with their separate Russia investigation, which is being led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mueller and the FBI are conducting their own investigation into Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia, and it is rumored that they have a case against former campaign manager Paul Manafort that could lead to him testifying against Trump. The evidence is allegedly not related to his Russia involvement but in fraudulent real estate dealings.
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