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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."