Newly released surveillance footage from former Trump adviser Roger Stone’s home shows CNN arriving about an hour before a fleet of trucks filled with heavily armed agents arrived to arrest the 66-year-old.
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson aired the footage during his show Friday night, saying, “The footage depicts what you’d expect if the FBI raided the home of a Mexican drug lord.”
Stone was charged last month on seven counts, including five for making false statements to Congress, one for witness tampering, and one for obstruction of a government proceeding.
“For context, Roger Stone is a senior citizen accused of false statements to Congress. Take a look at what happened. It’s just before 5 a.m., and an SUV with a CNN cameraman arrives first to this quiet street in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,” Carlson said.
“Almost exactly one hour later, trucks with heavily-armed men arrive in front of Roger Stone’s house. Immediately CNN’s cameraman jumps out of the car, camera on shoulder, capturing the footage,” he added. “The feds assemble on Stone’s driveway. They’re wearing ballistic armor and carrying assault weapons with 30-round magazines, red-dot sights, and tactical flashlights mounted to their barrel shrouds. One has his gun hanging by a strap while he carries a battering ram in his left hand. All of the men have sidearms holstered on their waists.”
Carlson continued:
A second camera mounted on Stone’s front door shows another angle of the raid. A heavily armed FBI agent approaches the door with his gun drawn while others stake out positions behind. It looks like a high-stakes raid, but CNN’s cameraman is still 40 feet away filming it all. One agent swings his firearm around as he scans and surveys Stone’s front porch.
Behind the home a third camera captures agents approaching the back of the house from the side yard. Behind the property, a boat arrives with at least two agents on board.
[…]
Within minutes, Stone exits his home to greet the agents who have their rifles pointed at him. Stone raises his hands and spins around, apparently trying to show that he is unarmed. Another FBI agent approaches Stone from behind and cuffs him. It’s just after 6:00 in the morning. It’s still dark out. Twenty minutes later, the same camera shows agents leading Roger Stone back into his house. He is barefoot. Stone is wearing a T-shirt that says, “Roger Stone did nothing wrong.”
Carlson concluded the segment by noting that “the FBI and their water-carriers in corporate media” insist that the over-the-top show of force was “by the book, happens all the time.”
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was asked about the raid during the House Judiciary Committee hearing Friday. “It was deeply concerning to me as to how CNN found out about that,” Whitaker said. “I share your concern with the possibility that a media outlet was tipped off to Mr. Stone’s either indictment or arrest before… that information was available to the public.”
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