Political consultant and longtime Trump associate Roger Stone clarified comments Tuesday that many took as a sign he was willing to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller.
“I think that my comments on ABC may have been misconstrued. What I meant was, I’m not going to bear false witness against anybody,” Stone told Fox News on Tuesday.
Shortly after the FBI arrested Stone and raided his Fort Lauderdale, Fla., home on Friday, Stone was interviewed by ABC News for a segment that aired Sunday.
“If there’s wrongdoing by other people in the campaign that I know about — which I know of none — but if there is, I would certainly testify honestly. I would also testify honestly about any other matter, including any communications with the president,” Stone said in that interview.
Many took this comment to mean that Stone would cooperate with the special counsel like Trump’s longtime fixer Michael Cohen. Cohen agreed to cooperate with Mueller’s team in its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in return for a reduced sentence. Last month, Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison for bank and tax fraud, as well as lying to Congress.
“I’m going to tell the truth under oath and to the investigators if they have questions,” Stone told Fox. “But I’m not going to do what Michael Cohen has done. I’m not going to make up lies or bear false witness against Donald Trump, or anyone else.”
Stone faces seven charges, including witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and lying in his testimony to Congress. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
