Roger Stone Assassination Claims Spark Furious Backlash

A report about Roger Stone, a longtime adviser of former President Donald Trump, allegedly discussing the assassination of members of Congress weeks before the 2020 election has sparked a furious backlash.

According to audio obtained by Mediaite, Stone spoke about assassinating two Democratic congressmen—Eric Swalwell from California and Jerry Nadler from New York—to Sal Greco, then a New York police officer moonlighting as a security guard for Stone. Mediaite does not specify how or from whom it obtained the audio.

"It's time to do it," Stone told Greco at a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to Mediaite.

"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 Nadler or Swalwell has to die before the election. They need to get the message. Let's go find Swalwell and get this over with. I'm just not putting up with this s*** anymore."

Stone denied making the comments in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"I never planned or threatened to have any politician assassinated," he wrote. "This is another fake news hoax without evidence."

In a statement to Mediaite, Stone denied making the comments about Swalwell and Nadler, calling it "total nonsense."

"I've never said anything of the kind more AI manipulation. You asked me to respond to audios that you don't let me hear and you don't identify a source for. Absurd," said Stone. Greco did not deny that the comments were made, according to Mediaite, and told the outlet: "I don't think your reader is interested in ancient political fodder."

Newsweek, which has not heard the audio and cannot confirm its source, has contacted Stone for further comment via social media. Greco has been contacted via his website. Swalwell and Nadler have also been contacted for comment via email.

The conversation reportedly took place after Nadler, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee alongside Swalwell, announced the committee would investigate Trump's commutation of Stone's prison sentence after he was convicted on charges linked to special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Trump commuted Stone's sentence in July 2020, just days before the latter was to begin serving a 40-month prison sentence for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.

The report sparked angry reactions on social media.

"There are people accused of non-violent crimes rotting in jail because they can't afford bail, but Roger Stone walks free ***AFTER TELLING A COP*** they should assassinate two congressmen," Melanie D'Arrigo, the executive director of Campaign for New York Health and a former Democratic congressional candidate, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"Don't pretend there's an equal system of justice," D'Arrigo added.

"These are the people Trump surrounds himself with," Fred Guttenberg, a gun control activist, wrote on X about Stone.

"If Roger Stone was planning an assassination of @ericswalwell & @JerryNadlerhe should be arrested. We better VOTE to be sure the guy who enables these thugs never steps foot in the White House again."

Author Patrick Tomlinson wrote: "Why is this fascist menace still walking free?"

Supporters of Stone defended him.

"The deranged leftists are making up lies about my good friends @RogerJStoneJr and @TheSalGreco again," wrote podcaster Alan Jacoby. "They can't get any sleep knowing Roger is advancing the MAGA movement and President Trump in major ways."

"Roger Stone is way too savvy & intelligent to say something like that... that conversation either didn't happen or it's altered or it's being taken way way out of context," one person wrote.