Stone Trial Highlights Volume Of Contacts He Had With Trump And 2016 Campaign
BLITZER: Tonight, prosecutors in Roger Stone's criminal trial are zeroing in on Stone's contacts with Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. They're arguing that Stone lied to Congress to protect the president. Our Crime and Justice Reporter, Shimon Prokupecz, is here in The Situation Room with us. You've been at the trial, Shimon. You were watching it all day. What are we learning about Stone's contacts with the president?</s>SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: I mean, if you are to believe the prosecutors and you look at all the evidence and the information that they are putting forward, there is a lot of information in the height of the WikiLeaks when WikiLeaks was threatening to release stolen emails, there was a lot of contact between Roger Stone and people inside the campaign. There was contact with Roger Stone and then candidate Donald Trump. They're still in the middle of just laying all of this out. They used the flowchart today to show the number of contacts with Paul Manafort, Steve Bannon and Rick Gates. Rick Gates is going to turn out to be a very significant witness here for the prosecutors. So they're still in the early stages of laying all this out and certainly showing how Roger Stone lied to Congress, they say, when they asked him, when they were investigating the Russia interference, how Roger Stone lied about his contacts with the campaign and with the president.</s>BLITZER: And so what are learning about Roger Stone's contacts with the president?</s>PROKUPECZ: They were extensive. I mean, they were many. As we have been reporting, there were several. There were at least three when it was revealed that the DNC had been hacked and there was a continuation of contacts of Roger Stone claiming that he can help the president win, claiming that he had contacts, that he had an intermediary who could help him. There's been a lot of funny moments today certainly at the trial because Randy Credico testified and that was certainly and entertaining. But this is comedian. Obviously, this is a person that Roger Stone had threatened that had he gone in and testify. So there is a lot going on there today, funny moments, but, nonetheless, the judge reminding them, so this one witness, this is serious business, you're a comedian but this is serious. And so will have a lot more to go through. We've only seen this was only the second witness. But, certainly, we have people like Steve Bannon testifying as soon as tomorrow perhaps.</s>BLITZER: He is a reluctant witness.</s>PROKUPECZ: He is a reluctant witness. He's been subpoenaed. He is being compelled to testify. That's going to be interesting. Again, a lot of this is going to bring this closer and closer to the president as this trial goes one in the next few days.</s>BLITZER: I think some other big names are going to be appearing as well.</s>PROKUPECZ: Well, Rick Gates is going to be a pretty significant witness. If you look at the 302s of the FBI reports that just came out in the last few weeks and what he talks about, and how the campaign, how they were preparing for the release of the WikiLeaks information, he is going to highlight just how much Roger Stone was keeping them informed about his claims that he has this information, he knows what's coming and how the campaign was preparing to respond to it.</s>BLITZER: The federal judge also, this is intriguing, told the jurors not to watch a certain movie.</s>PROKUPECZ: That's right. Because what the prosecutors are -- they have text messages and emails from Roger Stone using tactics, claiming -- telling Randy Credico to stonewall, to plead the Fifth, to do what he called what Frankie Five Angels did in Godfather. So she told them at the end of the day, as she was dismissing the jurors, she said, don't go home and download Godfather and start watching Godfather. Don't read anything about The Godfather, because those references did come up several times during the testimony of an FBI agent and also Randy Credico.</s>BLITZER: This trial could go on, what, two to three weeks?</s>PROKUPECZ: Yes, they expect up to three weeks. There's still a lot more to go through. We're only on our second witness. It's been really interesting few days. But the fact -- I mean, the big picture here, I think, that's always important to look at is that this is going to get a little closer and closer to Donald Trump as we go in the coming days.</s>BLITZER: We look forward to your reporting in these next several days. Thanks very much, Shimon, for that. Just ahead, a new curveball in the presidential race, as the former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, appears to be positioning himself to jump into the contest.