Roger Stone, a former political hatchet man for President Richard Nixon who currently gives advice to (and equivocates for) President Donald Trump, has been offering very carefully worded responses to questions about whether he advised Trump to fire FBI Director James Comey. While Stone refuses to disclose the exact details of what he and Trump have discussed, he has taken to CNN and Twitter to rebut reports that he urged Trump to fire Comey — while simultaneously making it clear that, yes, he and the president still remain in conversation with one another.
I am not the source of Politico/ CNN stories claiming I urged @realDonaldTrump 2 fire Comey. Never made such claim. I support decision 100%
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 10, 2017
It is noteworthy that, while Stone is adamant that he hasn’t been the source of media reports claiming that he talked to Trump about firing Comey, he has not gone as far as to say that he actually didn’t give Trump that advice.
When confronted about the subject by Matt Lauer on “The Today Show” on Thursday morning, Stone insisted that “I have always taken the position that conversations between the president and I, in the terms of the scope and the content and the frequency, would remain private.” Pressed by Lauer, Stone would not deny recommending Comey’s firing to the president. He also admitted that he talked to Trump “fairly recently, but not yesterday.” When asked how he would respond to a White House official saying it had been months, Stone replied “that would be incorrect.”
Stone has not been shy on Twitter about his views on Comey’s firing, either. He isn’t just supportive of it, he’s overtly gloating about it.
IT'S ABOUT TIME! #DRAINTHESWAMP
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 9, 2017
Somewhere Dick Nixon is smiling.#comeyfired
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 10, 2017
What Comey did to Hillary was disgraceful. I'm glad Trump fired him over it.@StoneColdTruth
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 10, 2017
Comey gave Clinton's a pass in the Sandy Berger affair, the Marc Rich scandal and Hillary's illegal email . Good Riddance
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 10, 2017
Message for today pic.twitter.com/Ym7yuJUk6t
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 10, 2017
Essential the next FBI Director work closely with DOJ to send @HillaryClinton to prison-"no person is above the law" @StoneColdTruth
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 10, 2017
https://t.co/v8GI5TDQT4
Mr. Comey has become a selective prosecutor,ignoring egregious crimes by the Clintons. He was becoming #JEdgarHoover— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 10, 2017
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