Roger Stone is peddling a new conspiracy theory in the vein of Seth Rich—the DNC staffer whom President Trump’s former advisor falsely speculated was murdered by the Clintons. This latest disinformation tale involves the death of the self-proclaimed pimp and recent political contender, Dennis Hof, who was featured on HBO’s brothel-reality series, Cathouse.
In an Instagram post last Wednesday, Stone published an image of himself standing next to Hof after news broke of the GOP candidate’s death.
“I suspect foul play,” wrote Stone, adding that Hof’s run for a Nevada state assembly seat “threatened” Nevada’s “political establishment.”
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Hof’s body was found at the Love Ranch, one of the legal brothels he owned, after a campaign rally and 72nd birthday bash attended by GOP tax fighter Grover Norquist, porn star Ron Jeremy and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump.
In a message to Observer, Stone reechoed this rhetoric by emphasizing that Hof’s “candidacy was a threat to many vested interests.”
“Sources in the Nye County Sheriffs office tell me his death is being treated as a homicide,” added the political operative.
Stone’s narrative, however, contradicts statements put forward by the sheriff’s office tasked with investigating Hof’s death. A spokesperson told The New York Times and other outlets that officials “had no reason to suspect foul play.”
“Dennis died quietly in his sleep,” tweeted Hof’s manager Chuck Muth the day after the news broke.
Muth did not immediately respond to Observer’s request for comment.
Stone has a reputation of drumming up conspiratorial outrage. During the 2016 election, the politico fanned conspiracies that Seth Rich was murdered for leaking classified documents to Wikileaks, despite D.C. law enforcement finding no evidence to support the DNC staffer’s death was politically motivated.
“Four more dead bodies in the Clinton’s wake. Coincidence? I think not,” tweeted Stone in August 2016.
The Republican operative is under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for communicating with Wikileaks prior to a cyberattack executed by Russian nationals against the DNC. The special counsel is reportedly zeroing in on whether Stone had advance knowledge of WikiLeak’s intentions to publish hacked emails, according to a Washington Post report from Sunday.
