Top MAGA operative Roger Stone, having already been pardoned by ex-President Donald Trump for lying to Congress in its Russia probe, tried to come back for more soon after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, according to documentary film footage obtained by the New York Times.
Footage from “A Storm Foretold,” a documentary by Danish filmmakers who followed Stone for three years, reportedly showed the operative texting David Schoen, one of Trump’s defense lawyers in his second impeachment trial, about potentially getting a pardon in the aftermath of the attack.
Predicting that there would soon be “mass prosecutions,” Stone reportedly asked Schoen if he would “plug” Stone’s petition for a pardon when the lawyer next saw Trump.
“At this point I’d be happy if he pardoned me and [ex-NYC police commissioner Bernard] Kerik again,” Stone reportedly wrote. “He’s already pardoned both of us so he would take no heat for it whatsoever.”
Schoen seemed to be open to the idea, reportedly telling Stone, “If he can be the only president impeached twice maybe you should be the only person pardoned twice.”
Though Trump ultimately did become the first president to be impeached twice after the House launched impeachment proceedings against him for inciting the insurrection, neither Stone nor Kerik (who was a key player in Trump’s efforts to steal the 2020 election) received a second pardon.
In a statement to the New York Times on Tuesday, Stone acknowledged having a discussion with Schoen about a potential pardon.
“I had predicted that they would criminalize constitutional political activity,” Stone said.
CNN, which also obtained footage of the documentary, reported earlier on Tuesday that Stone was recorded declaring “Fuck the voting, let’s get right to the violence” the day before the 2020 election.
The filmmakers turned over the footage to the House Jan. 6 Committee after receiving a subpoena from the panel.
Christoffer Guldbrandsen, one of the filmmakers, told the New York Times that the committee’s request focused on Stone’s relationship with the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, two far-right extremist groups who were involved in the Jan. 6 attack.
Stone has not been charged in connection with Jan. 6.
