- The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence voted Thursday to release a transcript of Roger Stone’s testimony to special counsel Robert Mueller.
- Mueller requested the transcript on Dec. 14.
- That could be a sign that Mueller is considering charges against Stone for lying to Congress. Stone says that he is not worried about Mueller obtaining the document.
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence voted unanimously Thursday to provide special counsel Robert Mueller with an official transcript of Trump confidant Roger Stone’s testimony.
The special counsel’s office requested the transcript on Dec. 14, The Washington Post reported, in a move that could signal Mueller is weighing charges against Stone for lying to Congress.
Stone, who testified to the committee on Sept. 26, 2017, told The Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday that he is not worried about the release of a transcript of his closed-door deposition. He submitted a letter through his lawyers to committee chairman Devin Nunes after Thursday’s vote requesting that a copy of his testimony also released to the public.
“Mr. Stone hereby demands the full and immediate release to the general public of the Transcript, such that the American citizenry and the world are able to evaluate for themselves Mr. Stone’s veracity,” wrote Grant Smith, Stone’s attorney.
“Notwithstanding the ceaseless torrent of partisan claims to the contrary to which Mr. Stone has been subjected by certain minority members of the Committee, Mr. Stone’s testimony provided during the Interview was forthcoming, truthful, and wholly consistent with his many detailed public statements on the matters being investigated,” added Smith.
Stone has been a focus for the better part of a year of the special counsel, which wants to know what the longtime political operative knew about WikiLeaks’ plans during the 2016 campaign to release Democrats’ emails.
Stone has vehemently denied knowing the source or content of WikiLeaks’ release of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s emails. The group began publishing the documents on Oct. 7, 2016.
The Trump associate has come under scrutiny over several tweets he posted during the campaign as well as comments he made in public that suggested he had some idea WikiLeaks would release documents damaging to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
“[I]t will soon [be] the Podesta’s time in the barrel,” he tweeted on Aug. 21, 2016.
Stone has claimed that he was referring to John and his brother Tony Podesta, a lobbyist whose firm has since closed shop under scrutiny over work for the same Ukrainian group that led to charges against Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman.
Special counsel Robert Mueller (L) arrives at the U.S. Capitol for closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Stone has claimed that when he sent the tweet, he had been briefed by Jerome Corsi, a conservative author, about the Podestas’ business dealings.
Corsi is another focus of the Mueller probe. Prosecutors offered Corsi a deal on Nov. 14 to plead guilty to making false statements regarding three emails he sent discussing WikiLeaks.
Corsi has claimed he developed a theory on his own in August 2016 that WikiLeaks had John Podesta’s emails and would release them before the election. He has also said that he told Stone about his theory, though Stone vehemently denies it.
Corsi did send Stone an email on Aug. 2, 2016 that referred to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and hacked Clinton-related emails.
“Word is friend in embassy plans 2 more dumps,” Corsi wrote in the email, referring to Assange, who lives under asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. “One shortly after I’m back. 2nd in Oct. Impact planned to be very damaging.”
“Time to let more than Podesta to be exposed as in bed w enemy if they are not ready to drop HRC,” Corsi wrote, adding: “That appears to be the game hackers are now about.”
Stone has claimed that he did not interpret Corsi’s message as saying that WikiLeaks had John Podesta’s emails.
Stone has said for more than a year in public that he had some insight into WikiLeaks’ plans through Randy Credico, a left-wing activist who is close friends to one of WikiLeaks’ attorneys. Stone has claimed that Credico provided him updates and tips on WikiLeaks, but that he never revealed the content of WikiLeaks’ releases or spoke of how the materials were obtained. (RELATED: Bombshell Text Messages Support Roger Stone’s Claims About WikiLeaks Back Channel)
Credico, who has testified before Mueller’s grand jury, has vehemently denied being a source for Stone. But Stone countered those denials on Nov. 14, when he released a batch of text messages showing that Credico provided tips about WikiLeaks’ plans. Credico also asked Stone not to reveal him as his contact to WikiLeaks, according to the texts.
“Julian Assange has kryptonite on Hillary,” Credico wrote to Stone on Aug. 27, 2016, according to text messages that Stone provided to TheDCNF.
“You are not going to drag my name into this are you,” Credico wrote on Sept. 29, 2016.
“[B]ig news Wednesday … Now pretend u don’t know me,” he also wrote on Oct. 1, 2016. “Hillary’s campaign will die this week.”
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