Roger Stone Videos Detail January 6 Role Before Capitol Riots
Roger Stone #RogerStone
As federal authorities probe into Roger Stone—an ally of former President Donald Trump and recipient of his presidential pardon—over possible involvement in the deadly January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, footage of Stone galvanizing Trump supporters prior to the incident may offer some clues.
According to Harry Litman, former U.S. attorney and deputy assistant attorney general, the Department of Justice is currently investigating Stone’s role in the attack, which left five dead and stunned the nation. In February, The Washington Post reported the Justice Department and the FBI were investigating ties between Stone, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Capitol rioters.
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Stone has vehemently denied any involvement in the attack.
Newsweek has contacted the Justice Department for comment.
Footage of the morning of the insurrection obtained by ABC News showed Stone socializing with Trump supporters outside a hotel in Washington, D.C., taking photos, shaking hands and reveling in praise. When one man asked: “We have this today, right?” Stone responded: “We shall see.”
In the video, Stone was flanked by guards belonging to the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia that had provided security detail for him ahead of January 6. The New York Times identified six Oath Keepers members who guarded Stone on January 5 and 6 to have later stormed the Capitol.
On March 9, the Justice Department announced the arrest of two Oath Keepers for their alleged role in the attack. One of the men, Roberto Minuta, worked as a bodyguard for Stone hours before the riots.
FBI court documents alleged Minuta and others affiliated with the Oath Keepers had “breached the U.S. Capitol grounds, where Minuta aggressively berated and taunted U.S. Capitol police officers responsible for protecting the Capitol and the representatives inside of the Capitol.”
Stone’s affiliations with far-right groups, such as the Proud Boys, have long been documented. On June 10, the Justice Department announced an indictment against six California men, four of whom were linked to the Three Percenters militia, in connection with the Capitol riots. According to a Reuters report, two of the six men were seen with Stone during a protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court a day before the insurrection.
As Stone delivered remarks at that event, footage reviewed by Newsweek showed Oath Keepers guards were also present. In a Facebook video posted by Laura Tawater—the 1st District Chair of the Kansas GOP—two masked people with caps and vests emblazoned with “Oathkeeper” could be seen among an audience of Trump supporters, moving among the crowd and scanning their surroundings.
During his speech, Stone praised Trump supporters protesting in D.C. as “a historic occasion, because we’re mad as hell and we aren’t going to take it.”
Video: Pence speaks out on Trump and Jan. 6 Capitol riot (Reuters)
Pence speaks out on Trump and Jan. 6 Capitol riot
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“This is a fight for the future of the United States of America, it is a fight for the future of Western civilization as we know it, it is a fight between dark and light,” Stone said. “It’s a fight between the godly and the godless. It’s a fight between good and evil.”
“And we dare not fail or we will step out into one thousand years of darkness.”
Stone, who backed Trump’s baseless claims of widespread fraud during the 2020 presidential election, referred to the next day’s demonstration.
“Tomorrow, when the left tries to bait you, let’s be very clear: we renounce violence,” he said of the march that would ultimately devolve into violence.
“They are the violent ones.”
Stone also claimed the “evidence” of election fraud is “overwhelming,” telling the crowd: “We must do one simple thing: stop the steal.”
The video concluded with Stone criticizing the “jackals in the media” who have debunked the Trump campaign’s evidence-free claims, adding: “Let me be very clear: nothing is over until we say it is.”
Also on January 5, Stone gave a speech at an evening pro-Trump rally, during which he told the crowd he will be present “shoulder to shoulder” with them the following day.
In a video he repeatedly promoted before the chaos on Capitol Hill, Stone announced he would be “speaking to the Stop The Steal peaceful protest” on January 6 to “protest the heist of the 2020 election.”
Trump himself controversially delivered remarks that day, which were perceived to be inciting his supporters to attack the Capitol as lawmakers debated then-President-Elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win.
In the video, Stone said he was “concerned about the safety and security of our supporters, of those who will be marching with us.” He urged those who could attend the D.C. demonstrations to make donations on the now-defunct StopTheSteal.org website.
The funds, Stone said, would go towards “professional security” for protesters, as well as “staging” and “transportation.” It is unclear whether the security detail in question involved right-wing militias.
Stone’s plans to attend January 6 demonstrations were further apparent by his announcement as a keynote speaker for a “MAGA Freedom Rally” organized by a pair of groups that oppose COVID-era mandates. However, the details of Stone’s scheduled appearance remain uncertain, as a YouTube video he had shared of the event was made private.
Stone had also traveled to the nation’s capital to attend a pro-Trump rally on December 11, 2020. On his Telegram channel, he shared a BitChute video of his brief speech, ironically titled “Roger Stone storms DC.”
“They tell us this election is over,” Stone told the crowd. “Nothing is over ’til we say it is. We will fight to the bitter end for an honest count of the 2020 election.”
“Never give up, never quit, never surrender and fight for America,” he continued. “We have an obligation to see that the rightful winner of the 2020 election is seated, and that is the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln, Donald J. Trump.”
Before his disgraced exit from the White House following the Capitol attack, Trump delivered mass pardons that included Stone, who was convicted as part of the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
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