Hours after being released on bond following his Friday arrest, presidential ally Roger Stone took to cable news to double down on his defense, chalking the seven-count indictment against him up to a sham.
His first stop of the evening was Fox News, where he told anchor Tucker Carlson that CNN’s appearance at his home when the feds came knocking was a surprise.
“First of all, it’s disconcerting that CNN was aware that I would be arrested before my lawyers were informed,” Stone said. “So that’s disturbing.”
Presenting himself as a harmless individual with no criminal past, Stone noted he didn’t even own a firearm, contended he wasn’t a flight risk and added that his passport has nearly expired.
He then slammed the indictment as weak, soon changing gears midrant to decry the internet’s crackdown on conspiracy mongering radio host Alex Jones.
“It’s about silencing me,” Stone said. “There’s a war on alternative media. There’s a war where they’re trying to criminalize political expression. There’s a war where they’re trying to criminalize free speech. The efforts to shut down my show at Infowars, the efforts to silence Alex Jones who’s one of my greatest supporters and proponents are part of this war.”
The charges against Stone include lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. A key section of the indictment alleges that he sought intel from WikiLeaks at the behest of a senior official within President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. Stone denied that occurred, vowed to plead not guilty and asserted he will be vindicated.
During his Fox appearance, he went as far as suggesting “composed testimony” had been given to either Rick Gates or Steve Bannon, both of whom also played significant roles in Trump’s campaign.
“Perhaps someone is bearing false witness against me,” Stone added, arguing the charges cannot be corroborated.
“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. I intend to fight because this indictment is fabricated. This indictment is thin as can be.”
Stone also made an appearance on CNN later that evening, again defending himself and assuring that the president had not spoken with him about a pardon, however, he refused to address whether that was a possibility.