Matt Gaetz Caught On Hot Mic Assuring Roger Stone Trump Will Help With Him With Trial: ‘I Don’t Think the Big Guy Will Let You Go Down for This’
Screenshot via the Washington Post
In video and audio published by the Washington Post on Saturday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) assures Roger Stone ahead of his trial that he will likely be saved by then-President Donald Trump.
Trump ended up pardoning Stone in December 2020 before leaving office after the longtime Trump ally was convicted on multiple felony counts, including lying to Congress and witness tampering.
The footage shows Stone and Gaetz speaking about the upcoming trial in October 2019 at Trump’s National Doral golf resort in Florida. Trump is referred to as the “big man” and “the boss” in the conversation.
“I’ll go down hard though. I’ll fight it right to the bitter end,” Stone tells Gaetz. Neither appear aware that they are being recorded.
“Yeah, but I don’t think you’re going to go down at all at the end of the day,” Gaetz replied.
Stone said he may have to “appeal to the big man,” and Gaetz assured him, “I don’t think the big guy can let you go down for this. This is so fucked up.”
The Florida congressman also tells Stone that Trump has a “favorable view” of him and says in a later recording that he’s already done work on Stone’s behalf. He doesn’t specify this work as he expresses concern over the numerous recording devices around them.
“Since there are many, many recording devices around right now, I do not feel in a position to speak freely about the work I’ve already done on that subject,” he said.
Footage and audio of the exchange was captured by a film crew following Stone for a documentary, A Storm Foretold, that will be released later this year. The footage was reviewed by the Post ahead of the release.
Both Gaetz and Stone released statements to the Post regarding the recordings, with Gaetz saying he was not speaking on the president’s behalf and claiming the footage was illegally captured, according to the report.
Stone meanwhile blasted the Post’s coverage of Robert Mueller’s investigation and his own conviction.
Check out the full Washington Post report here.
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