Roger Stone still idolizes disgraced former President Richard Nixon and even has Nixon’s head tattooed on his back. But last night, after Stone was indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller and arrested by the FBI, the Nixon Foundation issued a statement saying they wanted nothing to do with Donald Trump’s oldest friend and adviser.
The Nixon Foundation distances itself from Roger Stone after the Mueller indictment https://t.co/AIw5t3mtfc pic.twitter.com/rvrFbypLWN
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 26, 2019
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When Stone left the Florida federal courthouse after his arraignment yesterday he took a second to pose for the camera, and flashed Nixon’s signature double V hand signal.
The signal is used to symbolize “victory” or “peace,” but Nixon appropriated it for his own use in 1974 after resigning from office. While leaving the White House for the last time, Nixon also flashed the same hand signal that Stone gave yesterday.
Not only is Stone a huge Nixon fan, but he also has embellished his resume by saying that he was an “aide†during the Nixon administration.
So the statement from the Nixon Foundation tried to set the record straight, saying:
“This morning’s widely-circulated characterization of Roger Stone as a Nixon campaign aide or adviser is a gross misstatement. Mr. Stone was 16 years old during the Nixon presidential campaign of 1968 and 20 years old during the reelection campaign of 1972.”
“Mr. Stone, during his time as a student at George Washington University, was a junior scheduler on the Nixon reelection committee. Mr. Stone was not a campaign aide or adviser. Nowhere in the Presidential Daily Diaries from 1972 to 1974 does the name ‘Roger Stone’ appear.”
This morning’s widely-circulated characterization of Roger Stone as a Nixon campaign aide or adviser is a gross misstatement. Mr. Stone was 16 years old during the Nixon presidential campaign of 1968 and 20 years old during the reelection campaign of 1972. 1/2
— Richard Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) January 25, 2019
Mr. Stone, during his time as a student at George Washington University, was a junior scheduler on the Nixon reelection committee. Mr. Stone was not a campaign aide or adviser. Nowhere in the Presidential Daily Diaries from 1972 to 1974 does the name "Roger Stone" appear. 2/2
— Richard Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) January 25, 2019
Stone was arrested early Friday morning by the FBI after he was indicted by a grand jury Thursday night on seven felony charges brought by Mueller. The special counsel alleged that Stone sought stolen emails from WikiLeaks to hurt Hillary Clinton, and that he coordinated his efforts with senior members of the 2016 Trump campaign.
The lengthy indictment also states that several unnamed Trump advisers knew of Stone’s attempts and worked with him. The implication is that Stone was communicating and working with the very top people in the campaign.
In one text to radio host Randy Credico, his alleged WikiLeaks back channel, Stone quoted Nixon, writing:
” ‘Stonewall it. Plead the fifth. Anything to save the plan’ … Richard Nixon”
The current occupant of the Oval Office now appears to be disowning Stone as well. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told CNN:
“This has nothing to do with the President and certainly nothing to do with the White house. This is something that has to do solely with that individual, and not something that affects us here in (the White House).”
Roger Stone, even after his arrest, is still defiant. He still maintains he will never “flip†against Trump and start working for Miller. But eventually he may figure out that he doesn’t have any friends left, and if he doesn’t cut a deal with Mueller he may spend the rest of his life in jail.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
