The longtime associate of Donald Trump was arrested in connection with the Russia probe in January this year. The indictment said he made "false statements" about his interactions with an entity dubbed "Organization 1."
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The trial of Roger Stone began in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
In January this year, Stone, a political strategist and longtime ally of US President Donald Trump, was charged with seven counts, including obstruction of justice, making false statements to Congress and witness tampering.
The charges arose from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation which came to an end in March.
The indictment said he made "false statements" about his interactions with an entity known as "Organization 1" and information it might have had that would be damaging to the Clinton campaign in 2016.
Who is Roger Stone?
Roger Stone is a political consultant, author, lobbyist and strategist known for his aptitude regarding research of opposition, usually on behalf of Republican Party candidates. He has assisted the campaigns of US presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.
A self-described "dirty trickster" and "agent provocateur," Stone has pleaded not guilty to the accusations.
Stone also has a tattoo on his back — of Nixon's smiling face.
The Watergate scandal
Comparisons between the investigation into President Donald Trump's ties to Russia and Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal keep coming up. But what exactly happened in the 1970s that led to Nixon's resignation?
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Welcome to the Watergate Hotel
This is where it all began. In the early morning hours of June 17, 1972, five men broke into the Watergate hotel and office complex to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee. The head of President Nixon's re-election campaign denied any connections to the burglars. But within two years, the extent of the president's involvement became clear and eventually led to Nixon's downfall.
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Richard Nixon, foreign policy genius
Before the Watergate scandal, Nixon was better known for his achievements abroad than for his domestic policies. He won the 1968 election and, after re-election in 1972, became the first US president to visit China. The historic visit, including a meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong, normalized relations between the US and China and was seen as a huge success.
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Landslide victory
The ripples caused by the case still hadn't reached Nixon several months after the Watergate break-in. In November 1972, Nixon was so popular with large swaths of the population that he took 49 out of 50 states in the presidential election, winning by a landslide.
Image: AP
Woodward and Bernstein on the case
But the Watergate scandal was far from over. Two journalists at the Washington Post, Carl Bernstein (left) and Bob Woodward (right), kept digging deeper and deeper into the connections between the five burglars who had broken into the hotel and the White House. Woodward received information from a secret source known as "Deep Throat" that the journalists used for their investigative reports.
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Nixon versus the press
The Nixon administration wasn't happy about the stories and launched a campaign against the Washington Post. Spokesmen for Nixon attacked the newspaper viciously in statements, claiming it was waging a personal war against the president. But the Post's stories started to stick and spurred action, despite the administration's claims that they were filled with lies.
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The infamous tapes
Starting in 1971, Nixon began recording his phone conversations and meetings in the oval office, other White House rooms and Camp David. This practice was initiated by President Roosevelt in the 1940s. But when the existence of Nixon's recordings became public in July 1973 during the Watergate investigation, it marked a turning point in the case.
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Fateful firing
In May 1973, Attorney General Elliot Richardson (right) named Archibald Cox as special prosecutor in the Watergate scandal. Cox demanded Nixon hand over relevant White House tapes. Nixon refused and, in what became known as the "Saturday Night Massacre," fired Cox, the very man who was investigating him, on October 20. Doubts about Nixon's innocence rose and calls for impeachment grew louder.
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The Rose Mary Stretch
Nixon was eventually ordered by the Supreme Court to hand over the tapes, at which point investigators discovered an 18-minute gap in one of the recordings. Secretary Rose Mary Woods claimed to accidentally have deleted part of the recording when she took a phone call while transcribing the tape. The unlikely position she would have had to have been in became known as the Rose Mary Stretch.
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The end of Nixon's presidency
Impeachment proceedings were initiated in February 1974 and examined whether, among others thing, Nixon had obstructed justice by refusing to hand over the complete tape recordings. To avoid impeachment Nixon stepped down in August. Despite the scandalous circumstances of his resignation, he didn't appear too contrite when he boarded the helicopter to leave DC and his political career behind.
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What is 'Organization 1'?
According to the indictment, "the head of Organization 1 was located at all relevant times at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, United Kingdom."
Julian Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London from 2012 until his arrest in April 2019. Assange matches the description, although the indictment does not specifically name him nor WikiLeaks, the whistleblowing platform founded by the Australian activist.
Will there be repercussions for Trump?
The president has enough on his plate right now with an impeachment inquiry. Nevertheless, the trial will bring more headlines.
At the time of Stone's arrest at the beginning of the year, Trump took to Twitter, including some of his well-known utterances, such as "Witch Hunt" and "NO COLLUSION," before suggesting that US broadcaster CNN had been tipped off.
Ex-White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter told DW back in January that "this is a very bad situation for Trump" as the president desperately sought "incriminating dirt on Hillary," prior to the 73-year-old's election triumph of November 2016.
When can we expect a decision?
The trial kicks off on Tuesday with jury selection set to start at 9:30 a.m. (2:30 p.m. GMT). Opening statements could begin on Wednesday, according to US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson. The trial is expected to last at least two weeks.
A timeline of the Russia investigation
Allegations of collusion with the Kremlin have dogged Team Trump since the 2016 election campaign. DW takes a look at how special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation unfolded.
Image: Reuters/L. Downing
2013: Mr. Trump goes to Russia
June 18, 2013. Donald Trump tweeted: "The Miss Universe Pageant will be broadcast live from MOSCOW, RUSSIA on November 9. A big deal that will bring our countries together!" He later added: "Do you think Putin will be going - if so, will he become my new best friend?" October 17, 2013 Trump tells chat show host David Letterman he has conducted "a lot of business with the Russians."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/V. Prokofyev
September 2015: Hacking allegations raised
An FBI agent tells a tech-support contractor at the Democratic National Committee it may have been hacked. On May 18, 2016, James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, says there were "some indications" of cyberattacks aimed at the presidential campaigns. On June 14, 2016 the DNC announces it had been the victim of an attack by Russian hackers.
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July 20, 2016: Kislyak enters the picture
Senator Jeff Sessions — an early Trump endorser who led his national security advisory committee — meets Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and a group of other ambassadors at a Republican National Convention event.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/B. Smialowski
July 22, 2016: Assange thickens the plot
Julian Assange's WikiLeaks publishes 20,000 emails stolen from the DNC, appearing to show a preference for Hillary Clinton over Senator Bernie Sanders.
Image: Reuters/N. Hall
July 25, 2016: Cometh the hour, Comey the man
The FBI announces it is investigating the DNC hack saying "a compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/B. Smialowski
November 8, 2016: Trump elected
Donald Trump is elected president of the United States. On November 9, the Russian parliament burst into applause at the news.
Image: Reuters/K. Lamarque
November 10, 2016: Team Trump denies Russia link
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Rybakov says there "were contacts" between the Russian government and the Trump campaign during the election campaign. The Trump campaign issues a firm denial.
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November 18, 2016: Flynn appointed
Trump names General Michael Flynn as his national security adviser. The former Defense Intelligence Agency chief was a top foreign policy adviser in Trump's campaign. Flynn resigned in February after failing to disclose full details of his communication with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Image: Reuters/C. Barria
January 26, 2017: Yates - 'The center cannot hold'
Acting Attorney General Sally Yates tells White House counsel Don McGahn that Flynn made false statements regarding his calls with Kislyak. On January 30, Trump fires Yates for refusing to enforce his travel ban, which was later blocked by federal courts.
Image: Getty Images/P. Marovich
March 2, 2017: Sessions recuses himself
Trump says he has "total confidence" in Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions announces he will recuse himself from any investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Image: Getty Images/S.Loeb
March 20, 2017: FBI examines Trump-Kremlin links
FBI Director James Comey confirms before the House Select Committee on Intelligence that the FBI was investigating possible links between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/J. S. Applewhite
May 9, 2017: Trump sacks Comey
In a letter announcing the termination, Trump writes: "While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau."
Image: Reuters/J. Ernst/K. Lamarque
May 17, 2017: Mueller appointed special counsel
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appoints former FBI Director Robert Mueller to look into Russia's interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J.S. Applewhite
August 2017: FBI seizes documents from Manafort
Shortly after Mueller convenes a grand jury for the investigation, the FBI seizes documents from one of Paul Manafort's properties as part of a raid for Mueller's probe. The former Trump campaigner manager stepped down in August 2016 after allegations surfaced that he had received large payments linked to Ukraine's former pro-Russian government.
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September 2017: Trump Jr.'s talks to Senate committee
Donald Trump Jr. tells the Senate Judiciary Committee he has not colluded with a foreign government. The closed-door interview relates to his June 2016 meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, which was also attended by his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort. Trump Jr.’s emails, however, suggest the meeting was supposed to produce dirt on Clinton.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/K. Willens
October 2017: Internet giants allege Russian interference
Facebook, Twitter and Google reportedly tell US media they have evidence that Russian operatives exploited platforms to spread disinformation during the 2016 US presidential election. The three companies are appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee in November 2017.
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July 2018: Trump and Putin meet in Helsinki
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Helsinki for their first-ever summit. During the trip, Trump publically contradicts the findings of US intelligence agencies who concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
November 8, 2018: Sessions resigns as attorney general
Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns from his post, under reported pressure from Trump. The president then appoints a critic of the Mueller probe as his successor, but later nominates William Barr to be the next attorney general in December 2018.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/A. Brandon
November 29, 2018: Former Trump lawyer pleads guilty
Trump's former long-time personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about discussions in 2016 on plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. The FBI raided his home earlier that year in April. He would later be sentenced to three years in prison. In 2019, he tells Congress that Trump is a "racist" and a "con man."
Image: Reuters/J. Ernst
January 2019: Trump associate Roger Stone arrested
Roger Stone, a longtime Trump associate and Republican operative, is arrested at his home in Florida for lying to Congress about having advance knowledge of plans by WikiLeaks to release emails from the Democratic Party that US officials say were stolen by Russia.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/L. Sladky
March 13, 2019: Manafort sentenced to prison
Manafort is found guilty of conspiracy charges and handed an additional sentence, bringing his total prison sentence to 7.5 years. In August 2018, a court in Virginia found him guilty of eight charges, including tax and bank fraud. He also pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/D. Verkouteren
March 22, 2019: Mueller ends Russia probe
Special counsel Robert Mueller submits a confidential 448-page report on the findings of his investigation to the US Justice Department. The main conclusions of the report are made public when they are given to Congress. A redacted version of the report is released to the public on April 18, though Democrats call for the full report to be released.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/C. Dharapak
March 24, 2019: Trump declares 'exoneration'
The final report concluded that no one involved in Trump's 2016 election campaign colluded with Russia. Attorney General William Barr said the report provided no evidence that Trump obstructed justice, but stopped short of fully exonerating the president. Reacting to the findings, Trump described the probe as an "illegal take-down that failed," and said there was "complete and total exoneration."
Image: Reuters/K. Lamarque
May 1, 2019: Barr testifies
In late March, Mueller writes a letter expressing concerns over the way Barr portrayed his report. The attorney general says the special counsel's letter was "a bit snitty" while testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in May. Barr then cancels a subsequent appearance before the House Judicial Committee, citing "unprecedented and unnecessary" hearing conditions.
Image: Getty Images/A. Wong
July 24, 2019: Mueller light
Robert Mueller's congressional testimony on the Russia probe was again inconclusive. He sometimes struggled with his answers or avoided queries. To the Democrats frustration he appeared to do little to give any encouragement to the notion that President Trump could be impeached, though he did suggest he might be prosecuted for obstruction of justice crimes after he leaves the White House.