I don't know about you, but I really feel sorry for Roger Stone, the Trump crony who was rousted from his home in a pre-dawn raid by FBI agents Friday morning, handcuffed and then perp walked into a courthouse for arraignment.
It's just no way to treat someone who's so close to our esteemed president and who is such an elegant, dignified man, as well. And, oh my God, CNN was on hand to record the whole terrifying incident. How did that happen!
That, however, probably made it all worthwhile for Stone, as he was the subject of all that attention.
"The only thing worse than bad publicity is bad publicity," he is fond of saying -- and he did so on the steps of the courthouse after the hearing was over and despite the din of protestors, some of whom were playing the Beatles' song, "Back in the U.S.S.R" on a boombox.
Then, of course, he gave the big Nixonian V-for-victory salute, raising his arms wide over his head. Fond remembrances, indeed. Nixon's his hero, you know; even has the late, lamented president's pic tattooed to his back.
But, still, I feel sorry for him.
Here's a guy who was most likely scared half to death when those FBI agents, clad in riot gear and carrying big guns, pounded on his front door and yelled, "FBI. Open the door!"
"I opened the door to pointed automatic weapons. I was handcuffed,” he said later. “To storm my house with greater force than was used to take down bin Laden or El Chapo or Pablo Escobar, to terrorize my wife and my dogs, is unconscionable.”
In fact, Stone said yesterday that one of his dogs was so terrified that it still wouldn't come out from under the bed and was still shaking. The raid happened Friday morning. Yesterday was Monday, so that was one scared puppy.
Stone is also a guy who fancies himself as an expert of sartorial splendor, famous for his over-the-top outfits. Why, he even has his own website, "Stone on Style,' where he gives awards for the Best and Worst Dressed famous people and gives tips for the etiquette of purchasing and organizing your clothes. He even did a piece on Trump's clothing faux pas, with little red arrows showing Trump's mistakes.
Nobody with such taste and flair should be treated so shabbily by the FBI. And it must have been really hard for him, not having time to dress properly after his arrest. He showed up at the court house in a too-short blue golf shirt, exposing his belly when he gave his Nixon victory salute.
Sadly, Stone was charged with lying to investigators, obstruction of justice and witness tampering after the special counsel’s office filed a seven-count indictment, all connected to the Russia investigation. He was released on a $250,000 bond and his travel was restricted.
Stone has said what he did was just normal politics and protected free speech. OK, I'm all for free speech, although I didn't know that lying to prosecutors was covered. Anyway, today, he pled not guilty to those charges, but when he emerged from the courthouse, he was uncharacteristically silent, staying away from the cameras.
That must have been hard for Stone. He just craves the limelight and just can't help himself.
Oh well, at least they didn't haul him off to jail, where he'd have a finely tailored jump suit -- perhaps in stripes, or perhaps orange. At least, not yet.