Roger Stone

Roger Stone
Stone in 2025
Born
Roger Joseph Stone Jr.

(1952-08-27) August 27, 1952
Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
EducationGeorge Washington University
Occupations
  • Activist
  • consultant
  • lobbyist
Political party
Spouses
Anne Wesche
​
​
(m. 1974; div. 1990)​
    Nydia Bertran
    ​
    (m. 1992)​
    Criminal information
    Criminal statusPardoned, following commutation
    Criminal chargeFelony counts of:
    • Witness tampering
    • Obstructing an official proceeding
    • Making false statements to Congress
    Penalty40 months in federal prison[a]

    Roger Jason Stone[b] (born Roger Joseph Stone Jr.; August 27, 1952) is an American conservative political activist, consultant and lobbyist.[3][4][5] He is a prominent consultant and lobbyist within the New Right,[5] and Donald Trump's longest-serving political adviser. He was the subject of widespread media coverage for the Mueller special counsel investigation and his alleged involvement with[6] and connections to Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election as a consultant for the Trump campaign.[7]

    Since the 1970s, Stone has worked on Republican campaigns, including those of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Jack Kemp, Bob Dole,[8] George W. Bush,[9] and Trump. He co-founded a lobbying firm with Paul Manafort and Charles R. Black Jr.[10][11] The firm became Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly (BMSK) in 1984.[12]: 124  BMSK became a top lobbying firm, leveraging White House connections for high-paying clients, including U.S. corporations, trade associations, and foreign governments.[12]: 125  Stone's style has been described as "a renowned infighter", "a seasoned practitioner of hard-edged politics",[13] "a Republican strategist",[14] and "a political fixer".[15] Stone has called himself "an agent provocateur".[16] He has described his political modus operandi as "attack, attack, attack—never defend" and "admit nothing, deny everything, and launch a counterattack", all evocative of associate Roy Cohn.[17]

    Stone first suggested Trump run for president in 1998 while lobbying for his casino business.[18] He left the Trump campaign on August 8, 2015. In 2018, two associates alleged Stone claimed contact with Julian Assange during the 2016 campaign. Assange denied meeting Stone, and Stone said any mention was a joke.[19][20] Court documents in 2020 showed Stone and Assange exchanged messages in June 2017.[21] Unsealed warrants in April 2020 revealed Stone's 2017 contacts with Assange and that Stone orchestrated hundreds of fake Facebook accounts and bloggers for a political influence scheme.[22][23][24]

    On January 25, 2019, Stone was arrested at his Fort Lauderdale, Florida, home in connection with Robert Mueller's investigation and charged with witness tampering, obstructing an official proceeding, and making false statements.[25][26] In November 2019, a jury convicted him on all seven felony counts.[27][28][29] He was sentenced to 40 months in prison.[30][31] On July 10, 2020, days before Stone was to report to prison, Trump commuted his sentence.[27] On August 17, 2020, Stone dropped his appeal.[32] Trump pardoned Stone on December 23, 2020.[27][33]

    Since 2023, Stone has hosted a show on WABC radio.[34][35]


    Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

    1. ^ "U.S. v. Roger Jason Stone Jr: The full indictment". United States Department of Justice. February 1, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019 – via The Washington Post.
    2. ^ Mansfield, Stephanie (June 16, 1986). "The Rise and Gall of Roger Stone". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
    3. ^ Warner, Margaret (February 29, 1996). "Money and the Presidency". NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Public Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on June 17, 1997. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
    4. ^ "Roger Stone news & latest pictures from Newsweek.com". Newsweek. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
    5. ^ a b "The Rise And Gall of Roger Stone". The Washington Post. June 16, 1986. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
    6. ^
    7. ^ Paschal, Olivia; Carlisle, Madeleine (November 15, 2019). "A Brief History of Roger Stone". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
    8. ^ Labash, Matt (November 5, 2007). "Roger Stone, Political Animal, 'Above all, attack, attack, attack – never defend.'". The Weekly Standard. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
    9. ^ Greg Palast Talked Enron Corruption With BF Back in the Day Archived July 17, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Buzzflash, February 2002. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
    10. ^ Edsall, Thomas B. (May 14, 2012). "The Lobbyist in the Gray Flannel Suit". The Opinion Page. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
    11. ^ "A Political Power Broker". The New York Times. June 21, 1989. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
    12. ^ a b Choate, Pat (1990). Agents of Influence. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-671-74339-0.
    13. ^ Zimmer, Ben (January 25, 2019). "Roger Stone and 'Ratf—ing': A Short History". Politico. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
    14. ^
    15. ^ Hillyer, Quin (January 25, 2019). "The FBI's ridiculous riot gear and pre-dawn raid on Roger Stone was excessive and unnecessary". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
    16. ^
    17. ^ Cite error: The named reference toobin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    18. ^ Duffy, Michael; Cooper, Matthew (September 20, 1999). "Take my party, please". CNN. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
    19. ^ Hamburger, Tom; Dawsey, Josh; Leonnig, Carol D.; Harris, Shane (March 13, 2018). "Roger Stone claimed contact with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2016, according to two associates". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
    20. ^ Dukakis, Ali (December 2, 2018). "Emails about WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange being 'mischaracterized': Roger Stone". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
    21. ^ LaFraniere, Sharon (April 29, 2020). "Roger Stone Was in Contact With Julian Assange in 2017, Documents Show". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
    22. ^ Tucker, Eric; Long, Colleen; Balsamo, Michael (April 28, 2020). "FBI documents reveal communication between Stone, Assange". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
    23. ^ Cite error: The named reference clues was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    24. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Perez, Evan; Cohen, Marshall; Murray, Sara (April 28, 2020). "Mueller investigators said Roger Stone orchestrated hundreds of fake Facebook accounts in political influence scheme". CNN. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
    25. ^ Cite error: The named reference stone arrested was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    26. ^ Tucker, Eric; Day, Chad. "Roger Stone Arrested on Obstruction Charges in Mueller Investigation". Time. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
    27. ^ a b c Baker, Peter; Haberman, Maggie; LaFraniere, Sharon (July 10, 2020). "Trump Commutes Sentence of Roger Stone in Case He Long Denounced". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
    28. ^ LaFraniere, Sharon; Montague, Zach (November 15, 2019). "Roger Stone Is Found Guilty in Trial That Revived Trump-Russia Saga". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
    29. ^ Sneed, Tierney; Shuham, Matt (November 15, 2019). "Roger Stone Found Guilty On All Counts". Talking Points Memo. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
    30. ^ Phillips, Kristine; Johnson, Kevin; Phillips, Nicholas (February 20, 2020). "'Truth still matters': Judge sentences Roger Stone to 40 months in prison for obstructing Congress' Russia investigation". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
    31. ^ "The Latest: Roger Stone to remain free pending sentencing". ABC News. The Associated Press. November 15, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
    32. ^ Gerstein, John (August 18, 2020). "Roger Stone drops appeals of felony convictions". Politico. Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
    33. ^ "Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency". whitehouse.gov. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021 – via National Archives.
    34. ^ Coats, Cameron (June 12, 2023). "Roger Stone Show Debuts On WABC With Trump". Radio Ink. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
    35. ^ Coats, Cameron (February 24, 2025). "Roger Stone Expands Radio Presence with New Nightly Show". Radio Ink. Archived from the original on February 25, 2025. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
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