Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is demanding an FBI briefing on the arrest of political adviser Roger Stone who was recently charged by Special Counsel Robert Mueller with obstruction, making false statements, and witness intimidation.
Graham sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray yesterday and expressed his concerns over the tactics used during Stone’s arrest.
Stone was arrested in the early morning last Friday by armed FBI agents in full tactical gear.
In his letter to Wray, Graham wrote, “Although I am sure these tactics would be standard procedure for the arrest of a violent offender, I have questions regarding their necessity in this case.”
He continued, “The American public has had enough of the media circus that surrounds the Special Counsel’s investigation. Yet, the manner of this arrest appears to have only added to the spectacle. Accordingly, I write to seek justification for the tactics used and the timing of the arrest of Mr. Stone.”
Graham requested that the FBI brief the Judiciary Committee by Feb. 5.
Earlier this week, Stone appeared on Fox News’ the Ingraham Angle, and slammed the FBI raid, saying they sent more men to his house than they had to protect the Benghazi compound.
“The whole purpose of this over-the-top raid on my house, in which they sent in more men then were used to protect our compound in Benghazi, was to paint a picture of me coming to poison a jury pool as public enemy number one,” he said.
Former U.S. attorney and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie criticized Mueller’s decision to authorize the FBI raid of Stone’s house, calling it “overkill.”
“I think it’s the wrong thing for prosecutors to do. I think that Mr. Mueller made a mistake in authorizing that, because you’re going to be criticized, and rightfully so, if you’re a prosecutor using those means as a means of intimidation. If you’re using it as a way to protect FBI agents, that’s completely appropriate. And I’ve done it.”
He continued, “…when you get a pound on the door at 6:00 a.m., in the dark and you see a bunch of FBI agents with flak jackets on and semiautomatic weapons, to take somebody out who lied to Congress? To me, that’s overkill.”
