Trump’s Crooks, Cranks, and Convicts: Convicted Felon and Political Violence Enthusiast Roger Stone Is Back in Trump’s Inner Circle Arrow

This week, we're highlighting some of the crooks, cranks, and convicts that make up Donald Trump's MAGA GOP. As Trump brings convicted felon Roger Stone back on to his campaign team, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

"Donald Trump's 2024 campaign has become a reunion for liars and convicts who conspired to overturn the 2020 election. While a jury of Roger Stone's peers thought he deserved seven felony counts and a three year prison sentence, Trump thought Stone's crime spree earned him a commuted sentence and a job helping his campaign. Stone may be one of the more delusional MAGA extremists in Trump's increasingly unhinged orbit, but he was right about one thing: Trump will be crushed at the ballot box this November."

Roger Stone is fully back helping Trump's campaign - he joined campaign staff on stage during Trump's Super Tuesday speech.

HuffPost: "Presumptive GOP nominee Trump is reportedly in talks with … longtime adviser Roger Stone to boost his 2024 campaign."

CNN: "Stone remains an outspoken supporter of [Trump], trafficking in unsavory rumors about Trump's political opponents on social media and hosting a radio show on a conservative New York station that debuted with a Trump appearance. He is also a regular at Mar-a-Lago and walked out with Trump's campaign staff on Super Tuesday for the former president's victory speech."

Axios: "Longtime political operative and Trump confidant Roger Stone - who was convicted of obstructing a congressional probe into Trump's 2016 campaign and sentenced to 40 months in prison before Trump commuted the sentence - has been a frequent presence at Mar-a-Lago lately. Stone was at Trump's victory party there on Super Tuesday. He also has publicly weighed in on how Trump should pick his V.P nominee."

REMINDER: Stone was convicted of seven felony counts, including lying to authorities, obstructing a congressional investigation, and witness intimidation - before his sentence was commuted by Trump.

CNN: "President Donald Trump on Friday commuted the prison sentence of his longtime friend Roger Stone, who was convicted of crimes that included lying to Congress in part, prosecutors said, to protect the President. The announcement came just days before Stone was set to report to a federal prison in Georgia.

"Stone was convicted in November of seven charges - including lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing a congressional committee proceeding. … Among the things he misled Congress about were his communications with Trump campaign officials - communications that prosecutors said Stone hid out of his desire to protect Trump."

"[Stone] had covered up records that would have revealed he sought to reach WikiLeaks in 2016 to help Trump, lied about the effort when he testified to a Republican-led congressional committee, then threatened another congressional witness, according to the charges brought by Mueller and the DC US Attorney's Office. … The jury agreed with prosecutors and found Stone guilty of all seven charges he faced."

Politico: "Roger Stone sentenced to over 3 years in prison"

"U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson handed down Stone's 40-month sentence in a packed Washington, D.C., courtroom after spending more than two hours ticking through the twisted history of his case, which culminated last November with a jury finding the GOP operative guilty on seven felony counts including lying to authorities, obstructing a congressional investigation and witness intimidation."

Stone has snuck back into Trump's inner circle, including playing a key role in Trump's plot to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

NBC News: "Roger Stone joins Trump on his private plane to Las Vegas after a campaign stop in Iowa"

"[Stone's] actions in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol piqued the scrutiny of the House Select Committee during its investigation last year. The select committee outlined Stone's connections to extremist group leaders, including an Oath Keepers leader who was sentenced in May to 12 years in prison on seditious conspiracy charges.

"Stone also spoke with Trump at the end of December 2020, after he had already used violent rhetoric in footage captured by a documentary crew. 'I said f- the voting, get right to the violence,' Stone said.

"Cassidy Hutchinson, the then-aide to chief of staff Mark Meadows, also testified to Congress that Trump had directed Meadows to call Stone the day before the Capitol attack."

Rolling Stone: "A video obtained by MSNBC shows Donald Trump's former political advisor Roger Stone dictating the rationale behind a plan to undermine the certification of Electoral College votes days before the outcome of the 2020 election was announced."

Stone has frequently supported political violence - it was recently reported that he is under investigation for discussing assassinating Democrats.

CNN: "US Capitol Police are investigating comments allegedly made by pro-Trump political operative Roger Stone in the weeks before the 2020 election in which he appears to discuss assassinating two well-known House Democrats, two sources familiar with the probe confirmed to CNN. … In the recording, Stone can be heard telling Greco that either Rep. Eric Swalwell of California or Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York - both prominent House Democrats - 'has to die before the election.'"

The Guardian: "'If you use any of that, I'll murder you': inside a shocking Roger Stone documentary"

Stone previously said Trump would get his "brains beat in" if he ran for president for a third time.

Daily Beast: "Scorned Roger Stone Said Trump Would Get His 'F-king Brains Beat In' If He Ran Again"

"Longtime Republican operative Roger Stone grew so upset after not being granted a second pardon that he lashed out at Donald Trump, threatening to support the outgoing president's impeachment. In a newly released clip from a forthcoming documentary, Stone-visibly shaking with anger-said that if Trump ran for office again, he would get his 'f-king brains beat in.'

"'I'm done with this president,' Stone fumed in the video. 'I'm going to go public supporting impeachment. I have no choice.'

"'He has to go, he has to go,' Stone added."

Trump's circle is filled with election deniers, conspiracy theorists, and convicted felons.

Axios: "Trump eyes convicts and conspiracists for 2024 reunion"

"Sidelined characters from former President Trump's past campaigns - 'crazies,' some of his top advisers call them - are reattaching themselves to his inner circle now that he's locked up the Republican nomination. … ex-advisers, conspiracy theorists and convicted felons are now knocking on the campaign's door - and some are getting in."

New York Times: "Paul Manafort, a top adviser to Donald J. Trump's 2016 campaign who was pardoned by the former president at the end of his White House term, is in discussions to return to help with the Republican National Convention."

"Mr. Manafort was found guilty in late August 2018 of a range of financial crimes, including tax and bank fraud.

"In September 2018, Mr. Manafort pleaded guilty to additional charges brought by Mr. Mueller and agreed to cooperate. But as the case proceeded, Mr. Mueller said that Mr. Manafort had not been truthful in his cooperation, breaching that plea deal."

Washington Post: "Former president Donald Trump is preparing to bring back into his campaign fold a man convicted of multiple crimes and whom a bipartisan Senate report labeled a 'grave counterintelligence threat' because of his ties to a Russian spy."

The Guardian: "Headache for campaign team as Trump gets the band back together"

New York Times: "Former President Donald J. Trump recently told aides to hire Laura Loomer, a far-right and anti-Muslim activist with a history of expressing bigoted views, for a campaign role, according to four people familiar with the plans. Mr. Trump met with Ms. Loomer recently and directed advisers to give her a role in support of his candidacy."

Rolling Stone: "They Helped Trump Plan a Coup. He Wants Them Back for a Second Term"

The Hill: "Trump says he'll bring back Michael Flynn if he wins in 2024: 'He's some man'"

CNN: "Trump hosted Holocaust denier at Mar-a-Lago estate during visit with Kanye West, a week after announcing 2024 run"

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