President Donald Trump's confidant Roger Stone is rebuffing a request from the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee for documents and an interview connected to 2016 Russian election meddling, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights.
Stone's attorney Grant Smith sent a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California stating that Stone was declining Feinstein's requests, which she released over Twitter on Tuesday.
"The requests, as previously stated to staff, are far too overbroad, far too overreaching, far too wide ranging both in their all-embracing list of persons to whom the request could relate with whom Mr. Stone has communicated over the past three years, and the 'documents concerning' imprecision of the requests," Smith wrote.
"Mr. Stone's invocation of his Fifth Amendment privilege must be understood by all to be the assertion of a Constitutional right by an innocent citizen who denounces secrecy," the letter states.
Smith noted that Stone has already testified to the House Intelligence Committee. Special counsel Robert Mueller is also investigating whether Stone was communicating with Julian Assange and WikiLeaks during the 2016 election either directly or through intermediaries.
As the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Feinstein has no power to compel Stone to testify or produce documents. When Democrats take back the House in January, the House Intelligence Committee may have a renewed interest in Stone, as Rep. Adam Schiff has indicated he thinks Stone may have misled his committee.
Stone's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
