'Where’s the DOJ?' Experts demand arrest of Roger Stone after hearing murder threat audio
A recording of GOP operative Roger Stone that he claimed didn't exist has emerged, and prominent legal experts, former elected officials and pundits are all clamoring for the arrest of the far-right activist.
Mediaite published the audio of Stone calling for the assassination of Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) and Eric Swalwell (D-California) on Friday. The outlet says it obtained the tape via an anonymous source close to Stone, who asked for their name to be withheld out of fear of retribution. In the recording, Stone — a longtime confidant of former President Donald Trump — is heard repeatedly telling his associate, former NYPD officer Sal Greco, that it was "time to do it," referring to the murder of the two high-profile Democratic congressmen.
"Let’s go find Swalwell. It’s time to do it. Then we’ll see how brave the rest of them are. It’s time to do it. It’s either Swalwell or Nadler has to die before the election. They need to get the message. Let’s go find Swalwell and get this over with," Stone is heard saying at the Caffe Europa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "I’m just not putting up with this s--- anymore."
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?
"It was definitely concerning that he was constantly planning violence with an NYPD officer and other militia groups," Mediaite's source said. "Any attempts to claim this was AI or recently created would be false."
"Roger spent election day and the months prior calling for acts of violence, which can be seen on video in the film A Storm Foretold," the source added, referring to a 2023 documentary.
In response to the audio, former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Illinois) said Stone "should be in jail." The PAC Republicans Against Trump called for federal prosecutors to take notice, tweeting "where's the DOJ?"
Journalists were also adamant that the audio of Stone was proof of a crime. WIRED and Slate contributor Alejandra Caraballo said Stone should be in prison for "conspiracy to commit murder," which federal criminal code punishes with a potential sentence of life behind bars. Independent journalist Marcy Wheeler reminded her followers that former Attorney General Bill Barr downplayed Stone's alleged threats and witness tampering in the past. Daily Beast columnist Wajahat Ali more simply tweeted "How is this freak not in jail?" MSNBC contributor Ruth Ben-Ghiat — a scholar of far-right authoritarian politics around the globe — agreed, tweeted that Stone "should be in prison."
READ MORE: Audio reveals Roger Stone mused about assassinating Democrats in 2020: 'He has to die'
Stone had previously been sentenced to three years and four months in prison for lying to Congress in 2020, but Trump later pardoned him during his lame-duck period following the presidential election.
Listen to the audio by clicking this link.