ROGER STONE (EL GRANDE PUTZO)
Roger Jason Stone Jr. (born August 27, 1952) is an American political consultant, lobbyist and strategist noted for his use of opposition research, usually for candidates of the Republican Party. Since the 1970s, Stone has worked on the campaigns of key Republican politicians such as Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Jack Kemp, Bob Dole and Donald Trump.
In addition to serving as a frequent campaign advisor, Stone was previously a political lobbyist. In 1980, he co-founded the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm Black, Manafort, Stone with principals Paul Manafort and Charles R. Black Jr. The firm recruited Peter G. Kelly and was renamed Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly in 1984.
During the 1980s, BMSK became a top lobbying firm by leveraging its White House connections to attract high-paying clients including U.S. corporations, trade associations, and foreign governments. By 1990, it was one of the leading lobbyists for American companies and foreign organizations.
Stone is a self-described "dirty trickster" and has variously been referred to in media as a "renowned infighter", a "seasoned practitioner of hard-edged politics", a "mendacious windbag" and a "veteran Republican strategist". We left out "lying prick and scumbag".
Over the course of the Trump presidential campaign, Stone promoted a number of falsehoods and conspiracy theories. He has described his political modus operandi as "Attack, attack, attack—never defend" and "Admit nothing, deny everything, launch counterattack."
Stone is the subject of a Netflix documentary film, titled Get Me Roger Stone, which focuses on his past and on his role in the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump. Stone first suggested Trump run for President in the spring of 1998 while Stone was Trump's casino business lobbyist in Washington.
Stone officially left the Trump campaign on August 8, 2015; however, it has been reported that, as part of the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States election, two associates of Stone have claimed he collaborated with WikiLeaks owner Julian Assange in the spring of 2016 to discredit Hillary Clinton's campaign. Stone has denied this.
A defiant effort to exonerate himself in the Trump-Russia saga also looks like a campaign to raise money and sell books. Defying the advice of pretty much every defense lawyer in America, Roger Stone won’t stop talking.
The longtime political adviser to President Donald Trump gives lengthy interviews about his role in the 2016 presidential election. He writes combative op-eds about Robert Mueller, who is investigating him. He invites reporters into his home for open-ended hangout sessions.
It’s all part of a pre-emptive counterattack against the special counsel’s Russia investigation, which many legal experts believe is inexorably closing in on Stone.