Roger Stone coordinated the WikiLeaks releases with Russia
| Roger Stone coordinated the WikiLeaks releases with Russia | |
|---|---|
| UNSUPPORTED | |
| "Trump adviser Roger Stone was the link between the Russian hackers, WikiLeaks and the Trump campaign." | |
| Domain | Politics & Elections |
| Tactic | Conspiracy Theory False Context |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2018 |
| Origin | Reporting on Stone's 2016 statements about WikiLeaks and the January 2019 indictment |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-03 |
| Further reading: books on Politics & Elections | |
The claim that Roger Stone coordinated the WikiLeaks releases with Russia goes beyond what Stone was convicted of and what the Mueller report concluded.
What the evidence shows
- Stone boasted about WikiLeaks. In 2016 he told associates and the public that he had a channel to Julian Assange and knew what was coming. The Mueller report describes his use of intermediaries, and the campaign's interest in the releases.
- He was convicted of lying and obstruction. In November 2019 a jury convicted him on seven counts of making false statements to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering, relating to his testimony about his contacts. President Trump commuted his sentence in July 2020 and pardoned him in December 2020.
- The Russia link was not established. The Mueller report found that Russian military intelligence hacked and passed the material to WikiLeaks, and that the campaign expected to benefit. It did not find that the campaign or Stone coordinated with Russia, and Stone was not charged with a conspiracy.
- WikiLeaks denies Russian origin. WikiLeaks has publicly rejected the finding that Russia was its source, which the U.S. government's evidence contradicts.
Why it persists
Stone's own statements about knowing what was coming made the link sound inevitable. The conviction made it sound proven. It is neither.
Lessons for readers
- A man who claims to be a link is not necessarily one.
- Check the charge: lying about contacts is not conspiracy.
See also
- No one in Trump's orbit was convicted in the Russia investigation
- Trump's Russia if you're listening remark proved he directed the hacking
Sources
- Special Counsel Mueller, report, Volume I.
- United States v. Stone, verdict, November 15, 2019.
- Pardon announcement, December 2020.