Roger Stone, longtime advisor to former President Donald Trump, invoked his Fifth Amendment right to each question he was asked as he appeared Friday before the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack.
The Fifth Amendment right, of course, is defense against self-incrimination in response to questions asked while on trial.
“I did invoke my Fifth Amendment rights to every question, not because I have done anything wrong, but because I am fully aware of the House Democrats’ long history of fabricating perjury charges on the basis of comments that are innocuous, immaterial, or irrelevant,” Stone said after his hour-long session with the committee.
Stone was subpoenaed on November 22 for records and testimony, along with four other people linked to planning Trump rallies in Washington on January 5 and 6. He was subpoenaed for his involvement in planning and attending the events, as well as soliciting donations to pay for security at the January 6 “Stop the Steal” rally.
Stone, who has denied any involvement in or knowledge of the attack, was seen outside Washington’s Willard Hotel on the morning of January 6 with members of the Oath Keepers militia group, including some who were later at the riot on Capitol Hill.
Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison in February 2020 after he was found guilty of obstructing justice, witness tampering, and five counts of lying to Congress in Robert Mueller‘s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election. Trump commuted his sentence that July.
