Dec 17, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Roger Stone pleads the Fifth at Jan. 6 committee deposition

Noah Garfinkel

Roger Stone speaks to reporters in front of the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Federal Building after his deposition. — Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Roger Stone, a longtime ally of former President Trump, said Friday that he appeared for a deposition before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack but asserted his Fifth Amendment right not to testify.

Why it matters: Stone is the second witnesses subpoenaed by the committee to invoke the Fifth Amendment, NPR reports. Another witness said he plans to in the future.

Attorney John Eastman invoked the Fifth earlier this month, and former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark said he will at his deposition, per NPR.

The big picture: Stone was subpoenaed in November for his alleged role on Jan. 6.

Stone promoted his attendance at rallies in Washington, D.C., and "solicited support to pay for security through the website stopthesteal.org," the committee said in a statement.

What they're saying: "I will invoke my 5th Amendment right not to answer their loaded questions — not because I have done anything wrong — but because I recognize the whole thing as an elaborate trap," Stone said in a statement according to NPR.

"I have said time and time again that I had no advance knowledge of the events that took place at the Capitol on that day," he added.
"I don't like to see the criminalization of constitutionally protected political activity," Stone said after leaving the deposition. "I think it's a slippery slope."

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Roger Stone pleads the Fifth at Jan. 6 committee deposition

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