Trump publicly praises Stone for refusing to 'flip' while Stone faces prosecution
Reporting and findings
- documented
While Stone was under investigation, Trump publicly praised his statement that he would never testify against Trump and added that prosecutors were trying to make him lie. The Mueller report assessed the remarks with Trump's parallel messages to Manafort and Cohen as evidence relevant to possible witness influence and pardon expectations. That prosecutorial analysis was not a court finding or criminal charge against Trump.
- U.S. Department of Justice, Special Counsel's Office: Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential ElectionVolume II, pages 123–133: Stone statements, Trump response, and obstruction analysis
Summary and current status
Mueller analyzed the message as potential witness influence but did not make a criminal charging decision against the sitting president.
Conduct analyzed in Mueller obstruction report; no standalone adjudication against Trump
People and organizations
- Donald J. TrumpDonald Trump network root
- Roger Stonelongtime Trump political adviser and clemency recipient
Relationships in this file
- Donald J. Trumplongtime political adviser and clemency recipientRoger Stone