Opinion| Unless you live under a rock, you know who Roger Stone is.
Stone has been a friend of President Trump for decades, formerly served as the head of his campaign, played a key role in the “infowar” that resulted in the election of our 45th President, and co-hosts a daily radio show among other things. Roger is a very public person, who loves the lime light as much as anyone on the face of the Earth. “I have always said, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about” is perhaps Stone’s most famous quote.
Roger co-hosts a show on the Infowars network and is a staple guest, ofter sitting in as host on the Alex Jones show. The point of all this is that Stone is not hiding, he is not on the run, he is not a flight risk.
Senator Graham took to Twitter to tell America about the letter he had just sent to the FBI, seeking answers about the treatment of Stone and suspected Special Counsel leaks to the press, specifically the infamous, CNN.
Here are Graham’s Tweets:
Today I wrote to the FBI about the arrest of Roger Stone.
My questions include:
1) Why was it necessary to arrest Mr. Stone at his home in the early morning hours, rather than working through his attorneys to permit him to surrender voluntarily?
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2019
2) Was the manner of Mr. Stone's arrest consistent with the arrests of, and procedures for the arrests of, similarly charged individuals?
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2019
3) Were usual procedures for obtaining and executing arrest and search warrants followed with regard to Mr. Stone?
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2019
4) Did the Special Counsel's office issue a press release and release the indictment to the press prior to informing Mr. Stone’s attorneys of the arrest?
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2019
5) Did anyone at the FBI, DOJ, or the Special Counsel's office alert CNN, any other media outlet, or anyone outside of law enforcement that the arrest was going to occur on the morning of January 25, 2019?
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2019
Since his appointment, I have supported Special Counsel Mueller’s ability to conduct his investigation without interference.
Moreover, I have always been a strong admirer and supporter of the FBI.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2019
However, while I firmly support law enforcement taking into account threats to officer safety, flight risk, and the need to ensure evidence is preserved…..
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2019
…..I am leery that a subject of the Special Counsel’s investigation, who had retained counsel, had publicly stated that he believed that he would at some point be indicted, and was apparently willing to surrender voluntarily, was arrested in a pre-dawn raid at his home.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2019
Although I am sure these tactics would be standard procedure for the arrest of a violent offender, I have questions regarding their necessity in this case.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 30, 2019
When you add up all the facts, look at all the conflicts of interests, all the shady tactics employed by the Mueller team, the inhumane treatment of Manafort, among many, many other factors, this whole thing looks like a plot to punish anyone and everyone who helped Donald Trump get elected, in my opinion.
I think Roger Stone, and America for that matter, deserve honest answers to these questions. The more I watch the news the less and less I recognize this nation.