Self-described “dirty trickster” Roger Stone said that he will file a $25 million lawsuit against the Department of Justice while his lawyers file complaints for prosecutorial misconduct against key DOJ officials.
Stone, a longtime Republican operative and ally to President Trump, was arrested in January 2019 and sentenced to 40 months in prison in February in connection with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Stone’s high-profile arrest at his Florida estate was caught on camera by CNN after allegedly receiving a tip of his scheduled arrest.
“The terms of my pardon allow me to sue the Department of Justice, Robert Mueller, James Comey, John Brennan, Rod Rosenstein, Josnathan [sic] Kravis, Aaron ‘Fat Ass’ Zelinsky Jeannie Rhee and Michael Morando,” Stone posted to social media site Parler. “My lawyers will be filing formal complaints for prosecutorial misconduct’s with DOJ office of professional responsibility at the same time I file a 25 million dollar lawsuit against the DOJ and each of these individuals personally.”
Stone was found guilty of five separate counts of lying to the House Intelligence Committee during its own Russia investigation regarding his outreach to WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign, one count that he “corruptly influenced, obstructed, and impeded” the congressional investigation, and one count for attempting to “corruptly persuade” the congressional testimony of radio show host Randy Credico.
Stone was granted a presidential pardon on Wednesday. He had previously been granted clemency, with his prison time, unpaid fine, and supervised release commuted.
Also pardoned Wednesday were Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner’s father. On Tuesday, George Papadopoulos and Alex van der Zwaan, also charged in connection with Mueller’s Russia investigation, were granted full pardons.
“I have an enormous debt of gratitude to God almighty for giving the president the strength and the courage to recognize that my prosecution was a completely, politically motivated witch hunt and my trial was a Soviet-style show trial,” Stone said Wednesday night.
Stone said on Parler that he was going to add former Attorney General William Barr, who resigned on Wednesday, to the lawsuit, saying that he would “handle his cross-examination personally.”
The Department of Justice declined to comment.
