As MAGA followers prepare to descend on Washington D.C. this weekend for a rally they’ve dubbed “Justice for J6,” one key figure who absolutely won’t be in attendance is Trump hypeman Roger Stone.
The political lobbyist and convicted felon gave an interview to Russia Today (via Mediaite) from his home in Florida on Wednesday where he made it clear he won’t be marching in D.C. with the rest of Trump’s cult members. In fact, when asked about the rally — which has been organized by a nonprofit led by former Trump campaign staffer Matt Braynard — Stone warned his fellow “patriots” that the event might not be above board.
“I don’t know a single person in the MAGA movement who’s going,” he said. “It’s a setup.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvL6_VU6YsI
Though Stone didn’t offer any proof of his theories, he doubled down on them, calling the rally “agitprop” and accusing the government of trying to lure MAGA supporters into the city.
“Here’s my suggestion,” he continued. “The people who will be there will all be working for the government. If there’s a single armed protester there, they’ll be working for the federal government. This is so obvious. Who would go there armed? Nice try.”
Now, this whole thing just reeks of the kind of paranoia we’ve come to expect from Trump and his cronies, but it’s worth noting Stone is actually cautioning people against attending the rally, which is billing itself as a march to remember the protestors who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6th. (Some have even called the event a “Justice For Babbitt” march, referencing the rioter Ashli Babbitt who was fatally shot while trying to breach the Senate Chambers.) Now sure, there’s no way for him to profit off the ignorance of Trump’s groupies this time but still, encouraging vengeful conspiracy theorists to stay home instead of bringing their guns to a city filled with millions of people during a pandemic is actually one of the better things Stone’s probably ever done.
He ended his talk about the march with this plea:
“Folks, I’m appealing to you,” Stone said. “Stay away. Stay safe. Stay in your homes and, by all means, never bring a firearm to the District of Columbia.”
So MAGAers, just this one time, maybe listen to Roger Stone? (Ugh.)
(Via Mediaite)