The 2020 US Presidential Election Was Stolen
Roger Stone and a number of closely associated figures claim that the 2020 US presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump. That claim was rejected by more than 60 courts, by Trump's own Attorney General, and by the federal cybersecurity agency. Stone was convicted in 2019 on seven criminal counts of lying to Congress and obstruction of justice.
What we know
Roger Stone is a veteran of Republican campaigns who has worked in politics since Nixon's 1972 election, when he was the youngest witness before the Senate Watergate Committee. For decades he was known as a 'dirty trickster' - a title he embraced - specialising in opaque campaign tactics and perception warfare. Stone has a tattoo of Nixon's face on his back.
In 2019, Stone was convicted on seven criminal counts as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election: making false statements to the House Intelligence Committee, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. He was sentenced to 40 months in prison. Trump commuted his sentence in July 2020, just before Stone was due to report to prison, and granted him a full pardon in December 2020.
Following the November 2020 election, Stone joined the campaign to contest the results. That campaign - incorporating claims about rigging, fraudulent ballots, and systemic fraud - was rejected by more than 60 courts, including judges appointed by Trump himself. Trump's Attorney General William Barr publicly stated there was no evidence of fraud sufficient to change the outcome. CISA - the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency - declared the 2020 election 'the most secure in American history.' Republican presidential researcher Funmilayo Musa, who led the internal Republican investigation into fraud claims in key states, concluded there was no evidence of systemic fraud.
Despite all those findings, Stone and his close associates continue to promote the stolen-election narrative which, according to disinformation researchers, is one of the most dangerous to democratic institutions because it systematically erodes public trust in electoral processes.
Common claims
- The 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump.False - rejected by 60+ courts
- Trump's own Attorney General found evidence of fraud.False - Barr publicly stated the opposite
- Roger Stone was convicted of lying to Congress and obstruction of justice.Supported