Rep. Matt Gaetz is heard assuring Roger Stone via a microphone that Donald Trump would be there to help him in the event Stone was convicted of witness tampering. This new audio, which was released Saturday by The Washington Post revealed.
The recording of the Florida Republican was captured at an event at a Trump property in October 2019 – a month before Stone’s trial — by documentary filmmaker Christoffer Guldbrandsen following Stone. According to the recording obtained by The Post, Gaetz is telling Stone that even if he were found guilty of impeding Robert Mueller’s congressional inquiry into the 2016 election, Stone would not “do a day”Prison
“The boss still has a very favorable view of you,” Gaetz was caught saying, repeating what he said Trump told him directly. Gaetz added, “I don’t think ‘the big guy’ can let you go down for this.”
Stone was convicted on seven charges against him in November 2019. These included obstruction and five false statements. Stone was sentenced to over three years imprisonment. Trump commuted Stone‘s sentence in 2020.
Gaetz, a Trump loyalist, is a member the House Judiciary Committee. He continued to state that he was working to get him a pardon, but was reluctant to speak more at the event. However, the 25-minute recording was captured via a mic on Stone’s lapel for the Danish film crew’s documentary, “A Storm Foretold.” Stone was followed by Guldbrandsen with Stone’s permission for two years to make “A Storm Foretold.”The film will be made later this year and features scenes in which Stone assists Trump to reverse the 2020 election.
In a statement to The Post, Gaetz’s office denied he was speaking on Trump’s behalf in the clip. Florida law states that each party to a discussion must consent for it to be recorded. However, they must also have an agreement. “reasonable expectation of privacy.” Guldbrandsen told The Post that the congressman’s comment about recording devices at the event suggested he had no such expectation. “There is nothing illegal about this recording,”Guldbrandsen stated.
Stone himself, meanwhile did not address the conversation with Gaetz when he replied to The Post’s request for comment, but complained about the newspaper’s past coverage of his case and the Mueller report.
