Roger Stone, Alex Jones Say They'll Likely Plead the Fifth in Response to Jan. 6 Subpoenas

Roger Stone and Alex Jones have said they'll probably plead the Fifth after being subpoenaed by the House panel investigating the U.S. Capitol riot.

Democrat Bennie Thompson, chairman of the select committee, announced Monday that Stone and Jones were among five more people issued subpoenas. In total, the panel has subpoenaed 40 individuals in their probe.

The two men have been asked to give the panel the requested documents by December 6. They've also been subpoenaed to give testimony by December 17 and December 18, respectively.

Thompson said in a statement that the panel believes the witnesses called Monday to provide records and testimony have "relevant information" about the January 6 insurrection and events leading up to it.

"We need to know who organized, planned, paid for, and received funds related to those events, as well as what communications organizers had with officials in the White House and Congress," the chairman said.

Stone, a longtime Republican consultant and former adviser to former President Donald Trump, said he's "not worried" about the request because he doesn't know anything about the Capitol riot.

"On the other hand, as one who was framed for lying to Congress I would probably assert my Fifth Amendment right and decline to be interviewed," Stone said Monday night.

Stone was convicted in 2019 of lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering. Trump later pardoned him before leaving office.

The January 6 committee said Monday Stone was reportedly in Washington D.C. at the time of the January 6 riot and was expected to speak at the "Save America" rally before the violence erupted. He was not ultimately one of 12 speakers to take the stage at that event.

"While in Washington, Mr. Stone reportedly used members of the Oath Keepers as personal security guards, at least one of whom has been indicted for his involvement in the attack on the Capitol," the committee said.

The House panel said Jones "reportedly helped organize the rally at the Ellipse on January 6th that immediately preceded the attack on the Capitol, including by facilitating a donation to provide what he described as 'eighty percent' of the funding."

Jones, a right-wing commentator and conspiracy theorist, said in a video statement that he also plans to decline their request for testimony.

"They will claim I lie about something to the committee, which isn't even true—I wouldn't lie—then they will have the FBI and the Justice Department indict me for lying to Congress. I'm not stupid," Jones said.

He continued, "So they've been asking why other people weren't declaring the Fifth. I'm probably going to declare the Fifth, not because I've done anything wrong but because these people are political criminals that have an axe to grind."

Stone and Jones are following in the footsteps of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who also declined to be interviewed by the panel. Bannon cited executive privilege in his refusal, even though he wasn't working in the White House at the time of the Capitol riot.

Bannon was indicted by the Justice Department earlier this month for defying the subpoena. He surrendered to the FBI on November 15.

Newsweek reached out to the House panel for comment on Stone and Jones's comments.