The phrase “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” can be interpreted in a number of different ways. For starters, there’s the obvious interpretation that one should keep track of people that she has wronged or has a less-than-savory relationship with, that way, in the event of cosmic backlash, she can point a finger at someone. Another way of comprehending the adage is considering which of your friends may have assisted you in collaborating with foreign entities to ensure that you be elected to the position of president of the United States, and making sure that you keep tabs on the whereabouts of this person, lest they get caught and make life difficult for you. While some may think that example too specific, I think its perfectly pertinent and I’ll explain why I think this to be true.
On Friday morning, while the earliest of birds were catching their worms, one worm-like individual was indicted by a grand jury on charges brought forth by special counsel Robert Mueller. Roger Stone, a former associate of then-citizen Donald Trump, is being accused of seeking stolen emails from WikiLeaks that could damage Trump’s opponents during the 2016 presidential election season.
Per the official language of the indictment:
“…After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened or announced their respective investigations into Russian interference in the 20126 U.S. presidential election…Stone took steps to obstruct these investigations….He made false statements to the HPSCI about his interactions regarding WikiLeaks, and falsely denied possessing records that contained evidence…”
–Robert Stone indictment
The indictment went on to explain that Stone attempted to persuade a witness to provide false testimony and withheld pertinent information from federal investigators. According to several sources, Stone was arrested by the FBI Friday morning while drinking his morning coffee at his home in Florida. Stone’s attorney immediately attempted to defuse any public sentiment stirring up connecting Stone to special counsel Mueller’s investigation, suggesting that Stone’s indictment “focuses on allegedly false statements…made to Congress,” and has nothing to do with Russian collusion.
For those of you who are confused as to why this indictment is crucial to the Mueller investigation, consider the fact that if Stone is found guilty, this would prove the Trump campaign actively sought stolen emails from WikiLeaks as a means of damaging Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning the 2016 presidential election.
According to the indictment, “a Senior Trump campaign official was directed to contact Stone about any additional release and what other damaging information Organization 1 had regarding the Clinton Campaign…” When the indictment refers to ‘organization 1,’ they’re speaking about WikiLeaks, the website captained by Julian Assange that took home the data-breaching gold for the posting/distribution of stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee.
As exciting as all of this news is, we still don’t have a full picture of what actually went down between Robert Stone and the so-called “senior Trump campaign official.” We know that Stone spoke to a member of the Trump campaign, but as far as the extent of the relationship, or whether Stone made good on his task to acquire damning information from WikiLeaks, we are still very much in the dark.
Regardless, as CNN pointed out in their own story today, Stone is the 37th person or entity to be charged in the Mueller investigation. While other Trump associates have made it through the investigation without major cuts or wounds, Stone might not be lucky. According to CNN, Stone and Trump have maintained a strong working relationship since the 1970s, so it would seem that Stone might be the man Mueller has been searching for.
“Roger has a great understanding of the media. He understands politics and he understands politicians. And he always likes to take on somebody that at least has a good chance of winning. And sometimes it doesn’t work out. He’s had some people that I said, what are you doing with these people that, you know. But he loves it and he loves the game. He has fun with it and he’s very good at it.”
–President Donald Trump on Robert Stone, 2012
