Thread by @awprokop

The Roger Stone trial is ready to get started in earnest.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson warns spectators to behave. "Attempts to contact or identify jurors are prohibited." Says that rule may already have been broken by someone in the courtroom yesterday

Apparently referring to this. "Fortunately," Judge Jackson said, the info circulating online was "riddled with inaccuracies." (And this potential juror was not picked in the end.)

https://twitter.com/willsommer/status/1192118253226745856

Opening statement from prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky:

"In a critical investigation of national importance, the defendant, Roger Stone, repeatedly lied under oath to a congressional committee and lied under oath to cover up his tracks"

Zelinsky refers to Donald Trump as "the defendant’s longtime friend and associate."

"You will hear that, over and over again, Roger Stone proclaimed he was in contact with WikiLeaks. That he had information about what was coming."

"You will hear that Roger Stone tried to cover up that Jerome Corsi was his backchannel (to WikiLeaks), and that he tried to pin everything on Randy Credico."

“You will hear that Roger Stone discussed what he was learning with the senior levels of the Trump campaign, both in regards to Jerome Corsi, and in regards to Randy Credico.”

(This is Count 6 against Stone, the fifth false statements charge.)

Zelinsky: "The evidence will show that Roger Stone lied to the House Intelligence Committee because the truth looked bad. The truth looked bad for the Trump campaign and the truth looked bad for Donald Trump."

NEW: Zelinsky says that just after the Democratic National Committee announced it had been hacked by the Russian government, Roger Stone placed a call — to Donald Trump. Doesn’t know what was said.

Zelinsky: Stone called Trump again on July 31. They spoke for about ten minutes. About an hour later, Stone emailed Corsi again, to say that a friend of theirs in London should see Assange.

Prosecutor: After getting message from Corsi on Assange’s plans, Roger Stone emailed chairman of the Trump campaign, Paul Manafort on August 3. That he had an idea — in his words, “to save Trump’s ass.” And he asked that Manafort call him. (!!)

Prosecutor: Stone also emailed Bannon saying he knew how to win this, but "it ain't pretty"

Prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky refers again to these two emails - to Manafort about wanting “to save Trump’s ass,” and to Bannon about the way to win this that “ain’t pretty.”

(Will Bannon testify and explain what he understood Stone's message to mean?)

Zelinsky: “If you are looking for someone to pin something on, Randy Credico is a pretty good person to pick.” Says Credico will admit he has struggled with alcohol, that he’s excitable — and Stone knew all this.

Zelinsky: “You’ll hear that he [Stone] and Bannon had actually been talking about WikiLeaks, about Julian Assange, all summer long.” That Stone said had inside information on what Assange was doing.

(Foreshadows Bannon testimony)

Now Erik Prince is mentioned. He is IDed as the Trump campaign supporter mentioned here in the indictment, chatting with Stone about Assange

Zelinsky: "Just as Roger Stone promised, on October 7, 2016, WikiLeaks began releasing a massive amount of hacked emails" belonging to Podesta

Releases continued through election day.

"And on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, Donald Trump was elected president of the United States."

Now a lengthy discussion of the witness tampering charge.

Zelinsky says Stone pressured Credico to take the Fifth to the House Intelligence Committee, because otherwise (in Zelinsky's words) "it wouldn't look pretty for President Donald Trump"

Zelinsky confirms Bannon will testify: "You're gonna hear from Steve Bannon."

Prosecutors' opening statement has concluded. Breaking for lunch now, defense will give their opening at 2 PM.

Zelinsky's main theme: Stone lied because the truth would "look bad," for him and Trump, and it's proven by the documents.

One thing we did not get in the opening statement was new info about what Stone knew about WikiLeaks / Podesta emails, beyond what's already in the indictment.

(The case is about whether he lied to Congress and tried to obstruct an investigation, not the WL contacts themselves)

The new information revealed was about Stone's contacts with the Trump campaign — ominous emails to Manafort and Bannon, and calls with Trump at key times.

That's because Stone is charged with a false statements count on that. (Related to his testimony to House Intel)

Stone defense lawyer Bruce Rogow begins his opening statement.

He says that the prosecutor is right that the evidence in this case is "there for you to see."

"But what isn’t there for you to see is Mr. Stone’s state of mind."

Rogow making what will apparently be Stone's main defense against the false statements charges — a claim he thought the House was only asking him for documents about Russia, not WikiLeaks or Assange.

"The fact that it was a Russian investigation covered all of his answers."

Rogow is presenting various excerpts from Stone's House Intelligence Committee testimony (which we've never seen before).

Trying mightily to advance the questionable argument that Roger Stone had no idea that the committee wanted info on WikiLeaks.

Rogow now saying Stone in fact had no intermediary with WikiLeaks. Corsi claimed to have info, but he was just "playing Stone," and "Stone took the bait."

"There was no intermediary between Mr. Stone and Julian Assange. It's made-up stuff."

Rogow adds: Stone was also “playing others himself,” by “creating that notion that he had some kind of direct contact" (with WikiLeaks)

"All of these people were playing each other... trying to be important people, trying to say they had more than they really had"

Rogow moves on to what he describes as the second part of the case, the witness tampering charge re: Credico.

Says they had a longtime "friendship." Credico was never "afraid" of Stone. Exchanged many "crude" and even "odious" texts, but that's just how they talk

Rogow apparently laying the groundwork to argue that when Stone told Credico "do a Frank Pentangeli," he was referring to Credico's talents as an "impressionist" — that he meant to an actual impression of the character

Reminiscent of Stone's previous argument that, when he told Credico "Prepare to die," he was speaking of Credico's supposed diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer. You know, a friendly "prepare to die."

(Credico said he did not have prostate cancer)

motherjones.com/politics/2018/…

Former FBI case agent Michelle Taylor, who worked with Mueller's team, now on the stand.

Prosecutors have shown a clip of Assange saying he had emails related to Clinton (on June 12), and the WaPo article in which the DNC said they'd been hacked by Russia(June 14)

Now going into Stone's phone calls with Trump, all after 9 PM Eastern on the evening the WaPo article on DNC/Russia was posted.

1) From Stone to Trump, 0 minutes
2) From Trump to Stone, lasted 2 min 25 s
3) From Trump to Stone, lasted 1 min 53 s

Prosecutor shows two Guccifer blog posts, the second is this one dated June 30: guccifer2.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/faq/

Says Stone called Trump again that day

Now presenting a July 29, 2016 email from Stone to Manafort. They are setting up a call, and Stone tells Manafort, "good shit happening."

Occurs between these two Stone/Corsi emails mentioned in indictment

Prosecutors reveal they got Trump's home phone records.

A certain call in Stone's phone records on July 31 came from a number listed only as "-1." They presented, in a different exhibit, an almost entirely redacted call record, showing a call from Trump's home phone to Stone

They present the Corsi email to Stone purporting to know of Assange's plans, from Aug 2.

The next day, Stone emails Manafort:
Subject: I have an idea
Body: To save Trump's ass. Call me please. R

Says Stone's public statements on Assange's plans started a few days later

8/15/16: Corsi to Stone: Despite MSM drumroll that HRC is already elected, it’s not over yet. More to come than anyone realizes. Won’t really get started until after Labor Day.

8/18/16: Stone emails Bannon saying he knows how to win, but it "ain't pretty." Bannon says let's talk

Ex-FBI agent Taylor continues lengthy walkthrough of tweets and communications from 2016, most mentioned in indictment.

Interestingly, to me, no mention from prosecutors of
Roger Stone's famous "Podesta's time in the barrel" tweet. (Wasn't mentioned in the indictment either.)

This "well done" text to Stone came from Alexandra Preate, an aide to Bannon.

We break today after a discussion of this message from Stone to Credico: ‘Stonewall it. Plead the fifth. Anything to save the plan’ . . . Richard Nixon.”

(It's an actual quote from Nixon heard on a Watergate tape.)