
<p>I had a modest association with Roger Stone when we both served in the White House during the Nixon administration. ; I have followed his career for the next 50 years. ; My original opinion of him never changed. ; He has always been a bit of a nutcase.</p>



<p>Stone is the definition of dapper – although his impeccable style seems more in tune with the 1930s.</p>



<p>He is a combination of a conspiratorial theorist – at least the spreader of conspiratorial theories – and a dirty trickster. ; His greatest appeal seemed to be with the politically paranoid. ; His appeal to a guy like Nixon was his intense loyalty. ; He would do anything for the boss – even take a bullet. ; ;</p>



<p>The person most like Stone in the Nixon circle was J. Gordon Liddy – one of the guys who actually broke into the Watergate and unintentionally ended Nixon’s rather impressive and popular years in the Oval Office</p>



<p>Stone was like a pretend CIA agent &#8212; always in the know of deep dark secrets and empowered to do whatever was necessary to fix things. ; While he did not claim a license to kill, any illegal or unethical activity in pursuit of his mission was always open to consideration.</p>



<p>Even in his early career, he was labeled as a political dirty-trickster by many in Washington – even members of Nixon’s staff.</p>



<p>For Stone, there has always been an enemy to be defeated. He cast himself as the constant victim of political persecution.</p>



<p>Following the fall of Nixon, Stone became more obscure in high-level political circles. ; He went about his career and entered the b-level speaking circuit as are retrospective commentator on Nixon and the Watergate scandal. ; He shared his insider information – a mix of fact, embellishment, and invention. ; He wrote books – although not bestsellers.</p>



<p>Stone might have remained in semi-anonymity were it not for Donald Trump. ; Somewhere along the line, Trump took on Stone as an unofficial advisor. ; There was an immediate sympatico between the two establishmentarians. ; Both used dubious narratives to gain public attention and political support.</p>



<p>It was not a political marriage. Stone would cycle in and out of Trump’s circle of advisors and confidants – as was Trump’s habit. ; In fact, Stone was more or less out of favor until the 2020 election. ; Trump needed people to spread the word that the election was hijacked – just the sort of mission that would appeal to Stone. ; ;</p>



<p>Based on his history, the efficacy of Trump’s claim would not be a consideration in Stone’s taking up the cause. ;  ; Nor would Stone’s advocacy be limited by traditional norms or strict adherence to the law. ; It was the narrative that counted. ; ;</p>



<p>Stone was once convicted of lying to fibbing to Congress about his involvement with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. ; Stone never served time because Trump commuted his 40-month prison sentence. ; It was not a pardon – as many in the media report – but merely removing the sentence.</p>



<p>However, Stone may be in trouble again. This time for his role in organizing elements of the January 6<sup>th</sup> protest. Were his actions merely to stall the certification in order to get a recount? Or was he inciting violence to actually overthrow the election of Biden?</p>



<p>Recently leaked recordings appear to have Stone calling for violence. ; He says the recordings are doctored and out-of-context. ; That cannot be settled in the court-of-public-opinion – as Stone’s enemies would like. ; It seems likely, however, that Stone may have to prove his case in a court-of-law … again.</p>



<p>Stone is entitled to his presumption of innocence. ; We will probably find out if that presumption holds up in court. ; Will his case carry over to Trump? ; Probably not. ; Most folks who know Stone the best say he will never flip. ; He did not with Nixon – and will probably not with Trump. ; ;</p>



<p>The opinions of Stone vary widely, but there can be universal agreement … he is one very interesting character. ; Right out of a political movie thriller.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Roger Stone is one very interesting character
