Longtime Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone appeared before a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol Friday but said he refused to answer questions.
Speaking to reporters after his closed-door appearance, Stone said he invoked his constitutional protection against self-incrimination in response to a subpoena from the House of Representatives Select Committee.
“I don’t like to see the criminalization of constitutionally protected political activity,” Stone said. “I think it’s a slippery slope.”
The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects a person from being forced to disclose information to investigators that might subject them to criminal prosecution.
Stone appeared at pro-Trump rallies in Washington on Jan. 5, the day before the attack, and was protected by members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government group, on that day and the day of the attack. Several members of that group face criminal charges related to the attack.
At least two other high-profile witnesses in the investigation have said they would invoke that protection: John Eastman, a former lawyer for then-President Trump, and Jeffrey Clark, a former top Justice Department official during the Trump administration.
This report contains material from Reuters.
