FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – If you follow politics closely, you've heard of Roger Stone and probably know his history as a "dirty trickster" -- a label he wears proudly.
The question today is: Did Stone play dirty and illegal tricks for President Donald Trump?
Stone is at the center of Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Mueller's prosecutors said Stone lied in testimony to the House Intelligence Committee last year and allegedly encouraged another operative to back him up when he testified.
He did not look worried Friday as he wore a smile and made a victory sign as he emerged from federal court following his early-morning arrest.
"I will plead not guilty to these charges. I will defeat them in court," Stone told reporters after he was released from custody. "I believe this is a politically motivated investigation."
Stone has been motivated by politics all his life.
1 / 12
President Ronald Reagan's campaign operatives, Roger Stone, left, Ed Rollins and Lee Atwater, right, discuss the meeting they had during the president's re-election campaign with former President Richard Nixon in Washington on Nov. 13, 1984.Roger Stone, a political consultant for Campaign Consultants Inc., in his Washington office, Nov. 24, 1987. The firm handles strategy, television ads and other services for Republican candidates.Roger Stone, a volunteer adviser with Bob Dole's presidential campaign, poses with his wife Nydia in their Washington home, Sept. 12, 1996. Stone denied allegations that he visited a sex club with his wife and placed X-rated ads on the Internet and in magazines.Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump, left, is seen outside the federal courthouse in Newark, New Jersey, with Roger Stone, the director of Trump's presidential exploratory committee, Oct. 25, 1999, for the swearing-in of Trump's sister as a federal appeals court judge.Roger Stone, center, speaks to reporters before the start of a campaign event in which Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will announce Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate, July 16, 2016, in New York.Roger Stone, political consultant for President-elect Donald Trump, boards an elevator at Trump Tower, Dec. 6, 2016, in New York.Roger Stone and Kristin Davis leave the courthouse in New York, March 30, 2017. Stone, a longtime political provocateur and adviser to President Donald Trump, is being sued over a flyer sent to 150,000 New York households during the state's 2010 election that called the Libertarian Party candidate for governor, Warren Redlich, a "sexual predator."Roger Stone speaks to Local 10 News about the decision by President Donald Trump to fire FBI Director James Comey, May 10, 2017, in the backyard of his Fort Lauderdale, Florida, home. He denies a CNN report that Trump's longtime friend and confidant urged him to fire Comey. "Nobody talks Donald Trump into anything," Stone says.Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill, Sept. 26, 2017, in Washington. Stone says there is "not one shred of evidence" that he was involved with Russian interference in the 2016 election. Stone's interview comes as the House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into the Russian meddling and possible links to Trump's campaign.Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone speaks to members of the media after testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, Sept. 26, 2017, in Washington. Stone says there is "not one shred of evidence" that he was involved with Russian interference in the 2016 election. Stone's interview comes as the House and Senate intelligence panels are looking into the Russian meddling and possible links to Trump's campaign.Roger Stone speaks at the American Priority Conference, Dec. 6, 2018, in Washington.Roger Stone, a confidant of President Donald Trump, and radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, right, enter the House Judiciary Committee hearing room to hear testimony by Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Capitol Hill, Dec. 11, 2018, in Washington.
President Ronald Reagan's campaign operatives, Roger Stone, left, Ed Rollins and Lee Atwater, right, discuss the meeting they had during the president's re-election campaign with former President Richard Nixon in Washington on Nov. 13, 1984.
He started out working for Richard Nixon in 1972. He's even got a tattoo of the late disgraced president on his back.
Stone has been friends with Trump for three decades and was a formal adviser to his campaign in 2015. He's been an informal adviser since and the two remain friends.
"I am one of his oldest friends. I am a fervent supporter of the president. I think he is doing a great job in making America great again," Stone said.
The president sent out an angry tweet after Stone's arrest.
Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION! Border Coyotes, Drug Dealers and Human Traffickers are treated better. Who alerted CNN to be there?
Stone told reporters he would not "bear false witness" against Trump as the investigation continues.
"There are no circumstances whatsoever under which I will bear false witness against the president nor will I make up lies to ease the pressure on myself," Stone said.
That's music to the ears of an embattled president.
Of course, other close friends and supporters of the president, like attorney Michael Cohen, said they'd never flip and testify against him, but they eventually did.
If Stone doesn't, he could be in line for a pardon.
Copyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
