Roger Stone, longtime political aide to President Trump, said he intends to plead not guilty to charges brought against him in special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation and will not testify against the president.
“I am troubled by the political motivations of the prosecutors and as I have said previously, there is no circumstance whatsoever under which I will bear false witness against the president,” Stone said after appearing in federal court in Florida on Friday morning following his arrest. “Nor will I make up lies to ease the pressure on myself.”
A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Stone on seven counts on Thursday, including one count of obstruction of an official proceeding, five counts of false statements, and one count of witness tampering.
He was arrested in an early-morning raid at his house in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Friday. After appearing in federal court in Florida, a judge ordered him to be released on a $250,000 bond. His travel was also restricted to Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C.
In recounting his arrest, Stone said 29 FBI agents descended on his home in 17 vehicles with lights flashing and “terrorized” his wife and dogs.
He further warned that any false statements made to the House Intelligence Committee during testimony were “immaterial and without intent.”
“I will plead not guilty to these charges. I will defeat them in court,” Stone said. “I believe this is a politically motivated investigation.”
Stone said he “made it clear I will not testify against the president because I would have to bear false witness against him.”
[Also read: What Mueller’s Roger Stone indictment doesn’t say]
