Roger Stone says he's 'probably' the unnamed person in Mueller indictment
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Roger Stone said Friday evening that he is “probably” the unnamed person referenced in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s indictment against 12 Russian intelligence officers who allegedly hacked the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 presidential race.
Stone, a former campaign adviser to Donald Trump, initially told the Hill on Friday that he didn’t think he was the unnamed person, but reversed course later that day when he appeared on CNN.
Stone explained his reversal on not having had a chance to read the full document.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I certainly acknowledge that I was in touch with Trump campaign officials, and I have testified under oath to the House Intelligence Committee that I certainly had a 24-word exchange with the persona Guccifer 2.0 over Twitter direct messages."
“I certainly acknowledge that I was in touch with Trump campaign officials, and I have testified under oath to the House Intelligence Committee that I certainly had a 24-word exchange with the persona Guccifer 2.0 over Twitter direct messages,” Stone said in an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo.
The indictment alleges the unnamed person had been in touch with senior members of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and exchanged Twitter direct messages with Guccifer 2.0, an online pseudonym of Russian operatives.
Stone downplayed the significance of his contact with Guccifer 2.0, calling the exchange “benign based on its content, context and timing.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In March 2017, Stone posted a screenshot of the exchange with Guccifer 2.0 on his website. The date of and contents of the exchange matched what was referenced in Mueller’s indictment, Deadline reported.
Accounts differ on whether Stone left the Trump campaign because he quit or because he was fired.