U.S. investigating possible ties between Roger Stone, Alex Jones and Capitol rioters
Source: Washington Post
Legal Issues
U.S. investigating possible ties between Roger Stone, Alex Jones and Capitol rioters
By Spencer S. Hsu and Devlin Barrett
Feb. 20, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. EST
The Justice Department and FBI are investigating whether high-profile right-wing figures including Roger Stone and Alex Jones may have played a role in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach as part of a broader look into the mind-set of those who committed violence and their apparent paths to radicalization, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The investigation into potential ties between key figures in the riot and those who promoted former president Donald Trumps false assertions that the election was stolen from him does not mean those who may have influenced rioters will face criminal charges, particularly given U.S. case law surrounding incitement and free speech, the people said. Officials at this stage said they are principally seeking to understand what the rioters were thinking and who may have influenced beliefs which could be critical to showing their intentions at trial.
However, investigators also want to determine whether anyone who influenced them bears enough responsibility to justify potential criminal charges, such as conspiracy or aiding the effort, the officials said. That prospect is still distant and uncertain, they emphasized.
Nevertheless, while Trumps impeachment trial focused on the degree of his culpability for the violence, this facet of the case shows investigators ongoing interest in other individuals who never set foot in the Capitol but may have played an outsized role in what happened there through their influence, networks or action. ... We are investigating potential ties between those physically involved in the attack on the Capitol and individuals who may have influenced them, such as Roger Stone, Alex Jones and [Stop the Steal organizer] Ali Alexander, said a U.S. official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a pending matter.
{snip}
Spencer Hsu
Spencer S. Hsu is an investigative reporter, two-time Pulitzer finalist and national Emmy Award nominee. Hsu has covered homeland security, immigration, Virginia politics and Congress. Follow https://twitter.com/hsu_spencer
Devlin Barrett
Devlin Barrett writes about the FBI and the Justice Department, and is the author of "October Surprise: How the FBI Tried to Save Itself and Crashed an Election." He was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for National Reporting, for coverage of Russian interference in the U.S. election. Follow https://twitter.com/DevlinBarrett
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/stone-jones-capitol-riot-investigation-radicalization/2021/02/19/97d6e6ee-6cad-11eb-9ead-673168d5b874_story.html
riversedge
(69,710 posts)iluvtennis
(19,756 posts)dalton99a
(81,065 posts)cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)case Jones ass might be in the frying pan.
Of course if Stone lies I wonder if he could then be charged with the crime since it would be part of an ongoing crime.
dem4decades
(11,241 posts)cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)Or atleast he might be assuming he does not lie to the investigators or if he should be compelled to testify since he was pardoned and he can hardly use the 5th amendment to shield himself as he wont face any criminal charges due to the pardon.
Gore1FL
(21,029 posts)dalton99a
(81,065 posts)cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)Trump then granted him a pardon just before Trumps ass was being booted to the curb?
turbinetree
(24,632 posts)insurrectionist, so we will see what happens, he may not be free and clear............because if he had meet and greets after that pardon, well that pardon does not cover his actions.............unless the "guy" that plays golf gave him a pocket future pardon, when there is not one................
dalton99a
(81,065 posts)listed in the Jan. 2019 indictment
cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)Federal crimes automatically?
dalton99a
(81,065 posts)in fact, he didn't give anyone a blanket pardon (blanket pardons are rare)
Eugene
(61,592 posts)Trump pardoned Stone December 23, 2020.
https://www.npr.org/2020/12/23/949820820/trump-pardons-roger-stone-paul-manafort-and-charles-kushner
Legal experts also say the pardon may have been too shoddily written to fully protect Stone against some Trump-Russia charges.
blm
(112,919 posts)They PLAN to lie big to his audience of malleable idiots as SOP and they fall in line.
ewagner
(18,964 posts)If I'm not mistaken, Stone was given credit for coining the phrase "Stop the Steal".
The signs, the bumper stickers, the flags...all that stuff were designed and the printing was authorized by somebody...probably Ali, under Stone's direction. The whole protest was planned long before the election and the themes, methods of delivery of the message were all pre-planned.
Stone has been the chief of Republican dirty tricks for decades and he hasn't lost a step...and now he has money and muscle behind him.
We haven't heard the last from Stone.
groundloop
(11,486 posts)There were just too damned many "coincidences" for Jan 6th not to have been pre-planned with full knowledge of TFWHO*. Replacement of top defense officials with ones who'd comply with TFWHO*, the National Guard being held back, Capitol Police being understaffed (an officer who works night shift said he fully expected to work overtime that day yet was told not to come in).
Furthermore, I'm sick and tired of the First Amendment being abused. There should be limits when it comes to knowingly spreading of patently false information - as in TFWHO* and the right wing media claiming voter fraud.
* - The Former White House Occupant (I refuse to say the name)
bluecollar2
(3,622 posts)Unemployed Florida Man
UpInArms
(51,252 posts)And then on to Qruz ...
Working with about 20 paid GOP staffers or congressional aides and a small fleet of Republican lawyers including Ted Cruz Blakeman said the mission was simple.
Stone and Qruz were parts of the Brooks Brothers Riot ...
It was the template for the January 6 insurrection
Blue Owl
(49,906 posts)bucolic_frolic
(42,662 posts)and yes i know I misspelled it, but that's what they are. America would at peace if they locked them up for 20 years, but hey you guys do the law the way you see it.
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)You can tell they do take their time when it comes to the wealthy.
theneworiginal
(302 posts)How about Cruz, Boebert, Hawley and Trump? This is the DOJ's job, to get the ring leaders. The idea that months are passing without these people even having been interviewed must be a violation of protocols. What happened to the Biden admin. making sure that none of this was influenced by politics, race, or privilege?
This is no different than Bush letting the Bin Laden's leave the country without any law enforcement involvement right after 9/11.
AllaN01Bear
(17,355 posts)blueinredohio
(6,797 posts)Also the congress people who gave the tours on January 5th.
BobTheSubgenius
(11,535 posts)IMO, anyone involved with either the planning or the execution of the actual insurrection is equally guilty, and should be facing manslaughter charges, if not murder two.
BobTheSubgenius
(11,535 posts)If you are planning to murder someone - Pence, Pelosi or whoever was on their list(s) - but someone else ends up dead, through whatever means during their rampage, does that rise to first degree murder?
jmowreader
(50,447 posts)This is the DC statute: https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/titles/22/chapters/21/
§ 222101. Murder in the first degree Purposeful killing; killing while perpetrating certain crimes.
Whoever, being of sound memory and discretion, kills another purposely, either of deliberate and premeditated malice or by means of poison, or in perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate an offense punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary, or without purpose to do so kills another in perpetrating or in attempting to perpetrate any arson, as defined in § 22-301 or § 22-302, first degree sexual abuse, first degree child sexual abuse, first degree cruelty to children, mayhem, robbery, or kidnaping, or in perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate any housebreaking while armed with or using a dangerous weapon, or in perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate a felony involving a controlled substance, is guilty of murder in the first degree. For purposes of imprisonment following revocation of release authorized by § 24-403.01(b)(7), murder in the first degree is a Class A felony.
This is the federal statute: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1111
18 U.S. Code § 1111 - Murder
(a) Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. Every murder perpetrated by poison, lying in wait, or any other kind of willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated killing; or committed in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, any arson, escape, murder, kidnapping, treason, espionage, sabotage, aggravated sexual abuse or sexual abuse, child abuse, burglary, or robbery; or perpetrated as part of a pattern or practice of assault or torture against a child or children; or perpetrated from a premeditated design unlawfully and maliciously to effect the death of any human being other than him who is killed, is murder in the first degree.
I see nothing in there about lesser sentences if you kill someone you weren't planning to.
oldsoftie
(12,410 posts)COL Mustard
(5,782 posts)And keys thrown away.
Initech
(99,909 posts)The sooner he gets thrown in the slammer and Infowars' assets seized to pay off all the lawsuits, the better!
Response to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)
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