Donald Trump ally Roger Stone, who was recently banned from CNN for making crude attacks on its staff, is claiming that MSNBC has also banned him from its airwaves.
Stone is a notorious “dirty trickster” who recently co-authored The Clintons' War on Women. The 2015 book is dedicated to -- and cites research from -- a Holocaust denier who blames a “Jewish plot” for the 9/11 attacks. Stone's history includes forming an anti-Hillary Clinton group named “C.U.N.T.” during the 2008 election.
Stone worked for Trump's presidential campaign last year and is now organizing against Clinton's campaign again. He is a frequent presence in the media because of his long ties to Trump; their friendship and professional relationship goes back decades.
As Media Matters documented, Stone has written disgusting tweets targeting figures at media organizations including CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. He's called various media personalities an “arrogant know-it-all negro,” a “stupid negro,” a “fat negro,” a “professional negro,” a “Mandingo,” “quota hires,” “senile,” and “the muff-diver.”
CNN banned Stone from appearing on its airwaves as a result of his tweets. Stone is also a regular guest on Fox News and Fox Business; Fox has not commented on whether it plans to continue hosting him despite his diatribes against certain Fox personalities.
During a February 26 appearance on The Alex Jones Show, Stone claimed that “MSNBC, under pressure from Media Matters ... banned me.” From his appearance:
STONE: This gets even more comical. MSNBC, under pressure from Media Matters from America [sic], this group of twisted freaks who are Clinton apologists, who the Clintons can do no wrong, first they demand I be banned at CNN, where I was never admitted. Now MSNBC, where I have not appeared once this year, and appeared once last year, they've banned me. How do you ban someone who's never been admitted to begin with?
ALEX JONES (HOST): So why are they announcing it? Just to set the precedent for banning people?
STONE: Well because they know I have the goods on the Bushes and the Clintons.
MSNBC declined to comment to Media Matters on the matter.
Unlike other cable networks, MSNBC has not frequently hosted Stone in recent months. He last appeared on the network in September 2015, and he appeared on the network several times last year (not “once last year,” as Stone claimed), according to an iQ media and Nexis search.
Stone also defended Fox News' coverage of Trump, claiming that the network is “supportive” of Trump and is really “fair and balanced.” Stone singled out Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity for giving Trump “his fair shake.”
In addition, Stone attacked CNN's ban by falsely claiming he's been on the network “exactly three times since August.” In reality, Stone has been on CNN 22 times since the start of August 2015, according to Nexis. He appeared on CNN nine times from September 2015 through this week.
Stone is a regular guest on Jones' program. Jones is America's most prominent conspiracy theorist and has been supporting Trump's candidacy. Despite Jones' toxic history, the Trump campaign has been courting Jones and his audience.
Joe Strupp contributed reporting to this post.