Longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone stuck to his playbook, slamming special counsel Robert Mueller after he had been charged with crimes stemming from the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Stone awakened in the early hours of the morning Friday to FBI agents shouting, “FBI, open the door,” at his Fort Lauderdale, Fla., home. Hours later, he appeared in court shackled and wearing a blue Polo shirt and blue jeans, a contrast from his usual three-piece suits.
Before the day ended, Stone appeared on multiple cable news networks to defend himself from the charges and paint Mueller’s investigation as politically motivated.
“I’m in for the fight of my life, but I will not quit. I will not fold. I will not bend. I will not bear false witness against the president,” Stone said during an interview with Fox News late Friday. “I intend to fight because this indictment is fabricated. This indictment is thin as can be.”
The Republican operative, a self-proclaimed “dirty trickster,” was charged with seven counts, including obstruction of justice, making false statements, and witness tampering.
Mueller’s indictment alleged Stone was in regular contact with WikiLeaks and the Trump campaign around the release of emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta. A top Trump campaign official asked Stone to relay information from WikiLeaks to the campaign, court documents said.
Stone maintained in interviews with CNN and Fox News late Friday that no one from the Trump campaign directed him to make contact with WikiLeaks about the emails obtained during the 2016 election. Instead, he accused witnesses in the investigation of lying about the role he played.
[Related: Roger Stone vows to stand by Trump: I will not ‘bear false witness against the president’]
“Perhaps Rick Gates. Perhaps Steve Bannon. Perhaps someone is bearing false witness against me,” he said, claiming investigators will find no proof of their allegations in his emails or text messages.
Stone also accused Mueller of using intimidation tactics with the FBI’s pre-dawn arrest. Stone, 66, said FBI agents showed up to his home heavily armed and he feared law enforcement officials would shoot his wife, who is deaf and did not understand what was happening. Stone said he would have voluntarily turned himself in had they contacted his lawyer.
Stone also made a plea for donations. His legal bills are piling up and he expects to owe at least $2 million to his legal team.
“I’m essentially broke,” Stone said. “I had to end my life and health insurance in December because I couldn’t meet the premiums anymore. Every dollar I scrape up has to go to this fight. But still, I fight on.”
