Roger Stone said Monday that he may be willing to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller, but vowed he would never testify against President Trump.
“There is no circumstance in which I intend to be pressured in order to testify against the president. First of all, I have nothing that I could say about him that would be negative. Secondarily, I’m just not going to do that,” Stone said during an appearance on CNN’s “OutFront.”
{mosads}”I wouldn’t rule out cooperating with the special counsel if I can be helpful in some area, but there’s no circumstance under which I would testify against the president,” he added.
Speculation has grown that Mueller has narrowed his focus on Stone as a possible criminal target in recent weeks. Stone has not yet been called to interview with Mueller or testify before the grand jury, but the special counsel has in recent weeks sought testimony from a growing number of individuals linked to the longtime Trump adviser.
Stone has long been the subject of public scrutiny because of his connections to WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0, the hacking persona that Mueller’s team now alleges was a front for Russian intelligence officers.
Asked Monday if he believes he will be indicted or called to testify by Mueller, Stone said he has “no idea.”
“Look, the process is going to take its course,” Stone said, before explaining that his legal costs related to the Russia investigation and “nuisance harassment lawsuits” are projected to hit $2 million.
Stone denied any involvement in Russian collusion, and suggested he’s only a target because the Mueller probe is a “politically motivated” investigation.
He penned an opinion piece for The Daily Caller on Monday in which he accused the special counsel of violating his constitutional rights.
“It is now clear Mueller may seek to conjure up some bogus legal offense against me in an effort to force me to testify against the President, who I have known for forty years,” Stone wrote. “Additionally, they seek to silence me now and, during their coming assault, to impeach the President.”
His rhetoric echoes that of Trump, who frequently derides the Mueller investigation as a “witch hunt” that has overlooked wrongdoing by Democrats.
Mueller has thus far obtained the indictments or guilty pleas of roughly 30 individuals, including four former Trump associates.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is on trial in Virginia in the first major courtroom test for Mueller’s team.
Updated at 9:40 p.m.