Mueller probe figures use fame to pay bills
People caught up in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian election interference probe are looking to use their high-profile involvement to earn some money — or potentially pay off their legal bills.
George Papadopoulos has written a book about his experience with Mueller. So has Jerome Corsi. And Roger Stone is offering a variety of products for his supporters, from “Roger Stone did nothing wrong!” shirts to signed “Roger” stones.
Stone, who was indicted last month on charges of lying to Congress, impeding a congressional investigation and one count of witness tampering, has used his Instagram account in the weeks since his arrest to simultaneously go after Mueller and encourage his supporters to donate to his legal defense fund.
{mosads}Previous figures involved in the investigation have also set up legal defense funds. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has one, as does ex-Trump campaign head Paul Manafort and his former deputy Richard Gates.
In a video posted to his account Friday, Stone — who is banned from Twitter and Facebook — told viewers that he “pled not guilty and I will fight, but I need your help” before directing them to give to his legal fund.
One picture posted to Stone’s Instagram last week also depicts a photoshopped image of Mueller surrounded by dollar bills. “Where did you get all of that green Rob?” the caption reads, while encouraging donations to Stone’s legal cause.
A person familiar with Stone’s efforts said he has sold about 3,000 of the shirts — which were on sale before his indictment — as well as hundreds of stones featuring the onetime Trump campaign aide’s signature. The stones are currently on sale for $10, discounted from the original $12 price tag.
But a judge on Friday also hit Stone with a gag order, preventing him from speaking about the material facts of the case publicly.
The longtime GOP operative is due to appear at a number of fundraisers in the coming weeks on his behalf, but the order will certainly cap his ability to discuss it publicly as he raises money for his legal defense fund.
Corsi, who previously made headlines for promoting the “birther” conspiracy surrounding former President Obama, has also found himself caught up in the special counsel probe over his ties to Stone.
Corsi has since sued Stone for defamation over disparaging comments Stone has made about Corsi.
Shortly after Corsi publicly revealed last year that Mueller’s team had offered him a plea deal for lying to investigators, he published an e-book on his experience with the special counsel, with a hardcover version set to be released next month.
Corsi told The Hill that he was largely motivated to write the book to share his experience in the special counsel’s investigation. He said he probably could have made more money if he waited for a hardcover release with a full press tour.
{mossecondads}“I’m not going to deny I have economic motivations in writing the book, certainly I do,” Corsi told The Hill. But he said he didn’t expect the book to do as well as others he has written previously.
He estimated that his legal fees are approaching $100,000 and claimed that previous sources of income like consulting have dried up because of his association with the Mueller probe.
Corsi is also getting some outside assistance: He and his lawyer, Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch founder Larry Klayman, will attend a fundraiser for Corsi hosted by conspiracy theorist and GOP lobbyist Jack Burkman later this month at a Holiday Inn just outside of Washington, D.C.
“Jerome Corsi is a good man who is being unfairly harassed by an out of control investigation and a rabid media industry. It’s simply unacceptable that someone can be driven irreparably into debt with legal fees when they’ve done nothing wrong,” Burkman said in a statement announcing the fundraiser. “I’m happy to help Mr. Corsi piece his life back together while he continues to clear his name.”
Papadopoulos, who was largely unknown before his arrest was announced in 2017, also appears to be taking advantage of his time in the limelight.
In addition to a book coming out next month — which he announced at a pro-Trump conference the day after he was released from his seven-day prison sentence on the Mueller charge — he and his wife, Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos, are filming a docuseries for A&E.
All of this is happening as Papadopoulos says he’s considering running for a congressional seat in California.
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