Roger Stone, the longtime political strategist and confidante of Donald Trump, is collecting $50,000 a month to rehabilitate Myanmar's military junta in Washington's eyes, newly filed documents reveal.
The 73-year-old lobbyist is listed as a consultant with the firm DCI Group, providing what are formally described as "public affairs services" to Myanmar's ministry of information. According to filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, his mandate focuses on "rebuilding relations between the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the United States, with a focus on trade, natural resources, and humanitarian relief."
Myanmar's generals seized power in a 2021 coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering economic collapse and a vicious civil war. International investigators have documented repeated atrocities, and a UN mechanism established to examine the conflict warned in 2024 of "substantial evidence" pointing to war crimes and crimes against humanity by the military.
The junta remains heavily sanctioned by Washington. The US has imposed restrictions on military-linked individuals and businesses both for alleged genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority, now being litigated at the International Court of Justice, and in direct response to the coup itself.
Civil society groups have erupted in criticism. Justice for Myanmar, a leading activist organization, accused Stone and DCI Group of profiting "from a heavily sanctioned junta that is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity with total impunity."
Stone's work for Myanmar comes as the military regime tries to rebrand itself internationally. The junta held staggered elections earlier this year that were widely panned as orchestrated theater. Military leader Min Aung Hlaing, who masterminded the 2021 coup, was named president last month. Bloodshed has only intensified, with air and drone strikes killing over 450 people in March alone, the deadliest month since resistance to the takeover began, according to conflict monitor Acled.
Stone's history includes a 2019 conviction for obstructing a congressional investigation into the Trump campaign's alleged coordination with Russia in 2016. He faced 40 months in prison but never served time after Trump granted him clemency in 2020.
Neither DCI Group nor Stone responded to requests for comment.
Author James Rodriguez: "Stone cashing checks from a junta credibly accused of genocide while rebuilding its image is audacious even by his standards."
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