Raw footage from a planned documentary shows that Roger Stone — a longtime friend and confidant to failed, one-term former President Donald Trump — shows that Stone thought Trump should issue pardons for members of Congress that played a role in the attempted coup that took place on January 6, 2021.
The Washington Post reviewed the footage and reports:
After he left Washington, Stone lobbied for Trump to enact the “Stone Plan” — a blanket presidential pardon to shield himself, Trump’s allies in Congress and “the America First movement” from prosecution for trying to overturn the election, according to the footage and additional documents reviewed by The Post.
But the plan, along with a bid by Stone to win pardons for other Trump backers including convicted mobsters, was ultimately thwarted by White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Stone said in several conversations that were filmed.
What members of Congress did Stone advocate on behalf of because he believed they had played a significant role in the coup plan? Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Jim Jordan (R-OH).
Stone also mentioned Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL).
With the House Select Committee preparing to start public hearings in the spring, Cruz, Hawley, Gaetz, Jordan, Gosar, Biggs, and Brooks could all be seeing their names on subpoenas. Even if the committee chooses not to subpoena the congressmen, it’s safe to expect their names to be prominent when those televised hearings begin.
Here’s some of the raw footage from the documentary:
Asked for his comments on the article from The Post, Stone issued a typically truculent statement which reads:
“Typical of the Washington Post’s coverage over the last two years in which your newspaper insisted that I was a Russian Intelligence asset in league with Wikileaks to aide the Trump campaign — a lie.”
While Stone received a pardon from Trump for lying to Congress, he can still be charged for his role in Jan. 6. And this time he won’t have a buddy in the White House who can wipe the slate clean for him.
