WASHINGTON. Roger J. Stone Jr., a close associate of former President Donald J. Trump, sued members of a House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack Thursday, asking a federal court to stop them from receiving logs of his text messages and phone calls as part of that , which he considered an attempt to persecute him and other conservatives.
With the lawsuit, which also includes Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mr. Stone has joined at least 19 potential witnesses who are challenging the committee’s subpoenas, although the judges are still on the side of the panel, ruling that congressional investigators have broad authority to access evidence for investigation. Among those who are trying to use the courts to block the committee, Mark Meadows, former White House Chief of Staff, and low-level witnesses who helped organize the rally in Washington before the Capitol riot.
Mr Stone’s lawsuit criticized the legitimacy of the investigation and argued that the committee’s request for his negotiation records was “too broad”. Specifically, he objected to a subpoena the commission sent to AT&T this month that required access to his mobile phone data, including “all calls, text messages, and other conversation records” associated with his number.
He also requested information about his IP addresses, which identify devices on the network; billing addresses; contact list; communication session time; and other metadata covering a wide time period from the 2020 election to weeks after the Capitol violence: November 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021.
The lawsuit also alleged that the commission targeted Mr. Stone because he was part of the conservative movement.
“The Select Committee is vetting the plaintiff because of his political opinions,” the statement said, claiming without evidence that the information would be used to create a “massive database” to track down Mr. Stone and his associates who believe in ” fairness of elections. or “government skepticism”.
Committee investigators consider Mr. Stone an important witness for several reasons, including because he may be the only one the committee calls to court, has relationships with some of the most prominent political organizers and far-right groups involved in the rallies that preceded the Attack on the Capitol.
In a civil lawsuit decision last week, a federal judge in Washington noted that Mr. Stone was in contact with the leader of the Proud Boys militia group and then used the Oathkeepers as his bodyguard at the Jan. 6 rally. 2021. Members of the Oath were accused of mutiny over what prosecutors say was their wide-ranging plot to storm the Capitol that day and disrupt the formal congressional vote count to confirm Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s election victory.
“Stone’s ties to both the president and these groups in the days leading up to January 6 are public knowledge,” Judge Amit P. Mehta said. wrote as he allowed civil lawsuits against Mr. Trump over Jan. 6 to move forward. “The discovery could prove that this connection is important.”
In December, Mr Stone Appeared Before the Board of Testimony but invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on each of the commission’s questions because, he said, he feared Democrats would fabricate perjury charges.
Capitol Riot Aftermath: Key Events
Card 1 of 3
Ivanka Trump. Former President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter, who was one of his senior advisers, is reportedly in talks with the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack about the possibility of sits on an interview with a panel.
Civil lawsuits. federal judge in Washington rules this three civil suits against Mr. Trump in connection with the attack on the Capitol on January 6 can move forward. The ruling means plaintiffs can ask the former president for information about his role in the events.
classified information. The National Archives stated that disclosed classified information among the documents Mr. Trump took with him from the White House when he left office. The discovery raises new doubts about how the former president handled government documents.
Mr. Stone said he was leaving town as rioters stormed the Capitol and said he denounced the day’s violence as “illegal and politically counterproductive.”
“I didn’t go to the Capitol. I was not in the Capitol,” he said.
The committee is looking into not only those who committed the violence, but also how the plans came about to gather a crowd at the Capitol.
Mr Stone and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones were among a group of Trump allies gathered in and around him. Willard InterContinental Hotel outside the White House the day before the riot, a meeting place that the committee sees as unofficial headquarters for plans to cancel elections.
He was saw his Nixon victory branding flashing supporters, and was also photographed January 5 with Michael T. Flynn, a former national security adviser who also subpoenaed as well as sued the committee.
A spokeswoman for the committee declined to comment on Mr. Stone’s claim.