GOP operative Roger Stone became the latest ally of President Trump to be convicted of federal crimes when, on Friday morning, a jury found him guilty on seven counts — including lying to Congress, obstructing Congress’ investigation of Russian activities and witness tampering. These charges arose out of the special counsel's Russia investigation, though the Justice Department carried out the prosecution after Robert Mueller shut the office down at the end of the probe.
The jury handed down its verdict, according to USA Today, after seven hours of deliberation.
The proceedings, USA Today reports, brought to light new information about the 2016 Trump campaign’s efforts to seek information about e-mails that were stolen from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and published online by WikiLeaks.
Stone, a self-described “dirty trickster” who has often expressed his admiration for President Richard Nixon, did not plead guilty to any of the charges he has been found guilty of. The Trump ally, according to prosecutors, lied to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks during the 2016 presidential election.
Evidence at the trial also strongly suggested that Trump himself lied to the Mueller team about his contacts with Stone during the campaign, but the special counsel does not appear to have considered charges against the president for such conduct.
Other Trump associates who have either been found guilty of federal crimes or pled guilty to them include Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, and his former 2016 campaign manager Paul Manafort — both of whom are now serving time in federal prison. Cohen was sentenced to three years.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson has set a February 6 sentencing date for Stone.