Politico Defends Decision To Host Dirty Trickster Roger Stone

Stone Dodges Question About Co-Author’s Accusations That Trump Is A Rapist

Written by Eric Hananoki

Published

Politico defended its decision to host longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone at a Republican National Convention event despite his history of making sexist, racist, and conspiratorial attacks that have gotten him banned from CNN and MSNBC.

Stone has called Hillary Clinton a “cunt” and advocated her execution, and called media figures “stupid negro,” “fat negro,” “quota hires,” “elitist c*nt,” “bitch,” and “muff-diver” (among many other things). In a tweet he subsequently deleted, Stone once wrote, “Which female Politico Reporter goes commando regularly.”

Politico hosted a July 19 discussion with Stone moderated by Mike Allen and Anna Palmer. Spokesperson Brad Dayspring defended the publication’s hosting of Stone, telling Media Matters reporter Joe Strupp: “Roger Stone is certainly a well-known commodity and a character in his own right. He is a Trump supporter, he is running a super PAC that is involved in this election. So his words speak for themselves, it is not an endorsement by Politico. We try to have speakers that speak to a broad array of topics.”

Pointing to Stone’s July 18 pro-Trump rally with 9/11 conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Los Angeles Times reporter Chris Megerian noted of Politico hosting him, “Yesterday Roger Stone was spreading conspiracy theories with Alex Jones. Today? Given platform to riff on the news.” During the rally, Stone invoked conspiracies that the Clintons were involved in a cover-up surrounding the death of White House aide Vince Foster.

During the Politico event, Stone weighed in on Melania Trump’s plagiarism of Michelle Obama in her recent speech at the Republican National Convention. Stone said voters don’t care, but “if somebody did this then it’s sloppy staff work and somebody should go.” Stone himself is a plagiarist: He wrote an April anti-Ted Cruz piece for The Daily Caller that contained at least five paragraphs in which research and language was lifted from a conservative blog. The Daily Caller subsequently removed Stone’s piece from its website.

During the event's question and answer portion, Media Matters' Strupp asked Stone if he wanted to address his co-author Robert Morrow’s claims that Trump committed rape. Stone refused to respond, stating, “I don’t respond to questions from illegitimate news organizations. Next question.”

Stone and Morrow co-authored The Clintons' War on Women -- Politico promoted the book during the discussion -- which claims to show “how Bill and Hillary Clinton systematically abused women and others -- sexually, physically, and psychologically -- in their scramble for power and wealth.”

Media Matters has reported that Morrow is a fringe conspiracy theorist with a history of bizarre, racist, and incendiary writings. He has wished death on Hillary Clinton and been visited by the Secret Service; posted sexual writings about the former secretary of state; called Chelsea Clinton a “slut” and imagined how she would “have sex one day” with Bill Clinton; posted about “pro-faggot JUDICIAL ACTIVISM”; and claimed the Bush and Clinton families were involved in murders and drug-running. He also has an obsession with using the slur nigger, having tweeted it over 100 times. Morrow was recently sworn in as the chairman of the GOP in Travis County, Texas.  

Morrow and Stone have recently been feuding over Trump, with Morrow repeatedly attacking Trump as a rapist and Stone as “a hack for Donald Trump.”

Morrow has repeatedly accused Trump of being a rapist on his Twitter account. For instance:

Morrow wrote that Stone has been “a tad standoffish after my exposing Donald Trump for the serial rapist and child rapist this very sick man is.” He also tweeted, “Stone is a hack for Donald Trump and any of his defenses of Trump can't be taken at face value.”

Stone responded to one of Morrow’s tweets by writing, “Morrow has lost his mind-has ZERO evidence and is courting a defamation suit.” He also tweeted at Morrow after he criticized the Trump campaign: “How would you know? You've never elected anyone to public office or held a job in your life? #Trust #Fund #Loser.”

Media Matters’ Joe Strupp contributed reporting to this post.