The Capitol Police, in conjunction with the FBI, are currently investigating statements made by Roger Stone, a pro-Trump political operative, regarding the potential assassination of two prominent House Democrats, Representatives Jerry Nadler and Eric Swalwell. An audio recording of Stone’s remarks was published by Mediaite last week, capturing a conversation between Stone and his associate, former NYPD cop Sal Greco, which took place weeks before the 2020 election.
In the recording, Stone is heard saying, “It’s time to do it. 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. I’m just not putting up with this shit anymore.”
Swalwell responded to the comments, emphasizing the seriousness of the threat and calling for both law enforcement and Congress to take them seriously. He asserted that Stone’s words were reflective of a broader pattern of intimidation and violence preferred by Trump and his supporters against critics. Swalwell urged unity in condemning such acts of violence and emphasized the need for both parties to denounce them.
While Stone vehemently denied making the comments, dismissing the audio as “poorly fabricated AI generated fraud,” Swalwell highlighted the persistence of threats of violence against Trump’s opponents. Stone, who has previously claimed that incriminating videos were “deep fakes,” faces scrutiny once again for his alleged involvement in calls for violence.
Notably, both Swalwell and Nadler are members of the House Judiciary Committee and have had past interactions with Stone, who was convicted of federal crimes related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Stone’s sentence was commuted by then-President Trump shortly before he was due to serve his prison term.
The Roger Stone assassination plot recording may seem like the ravings of a wannabe gangster. It’s not. This is what Trump and his real-life thugs do: they try to intimidate opponents and will always choose violence over voting. Because I’m one of Trump’s loudest critics, Stone put a hit out on me. This threat, and other threats of violence by Trump and his supporters, must be taken seriously by not only law enforcement but also by my colleagues. Both parties, not just Democrats, must condemn this violence. Unity will always be the best antidote against further violence.
Finally, Stone said that I and Trump’s enemies need to ‘get the message.’ Well, I and the voters have a message for Stone and Trump: we are still here and we are not going away until we bury MAGAism and make sure America’s democracy endures.
This latest revelation adds to Stone’s controversial history, and it comes in the context of ongoing investigations into the circumstances surrounding the commutation of his sentence. Greco, who was dismissed from the NYPD in 2022 due to his association with Stone, did not dispute the conversation in the released audio recording. Mediaite also reported on another conversation between Stone and Greco where Stone discussed plans to “abduct” and “punish” Aaron Zelinsky, the prosecutor involved in Stone’s case during the Mueller probe.
