CLEVELAND, Ohio – Before his face was splashed across cable news and the FBI raided his house, Roger Stone made a mark in Ohio.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller brought an indictment against Stone, the notorious Republican consultant who is often described as a dirty trickster, on Friday on charges of lying, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Stone is a long-time adviser to Republican President Donald Trump.
Outside the criminal charges, Stone most recently has faced scrutiny over his connection to hackers who stole emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign Chairman John Podesta at the direction of Russia.
However, before Friday’s blockbuster news – and even before he was infamous – Stone was a fairly respected national political consultant with expertise in Ohio.
Stone ran Republican President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 re-election campaign in Ohio and 11 other states as the northeast campaign director. He worked closely with then-Cuyahoga County GOP Chairman Robert E. Hughes, former Gov. George Voinovich and then-state Rep. Dave Johnson of North Canton.
After successfully delivering the state to Reagan in that year’s election, Stone could frequently be seen hobnobbing with Ohio Republicans in Washington.
In 1986, Stone signed on as a campaign consultant for then-state Rep. Jeffrey Jacobs, son of wealthy former Cleveland Indians owner Richard Jacobs. Stone would go on to become a longtime adviser to Jacobs, who became a Cleveland-based gaming magnate and real estate developer. Jacobs did not respond to a request for an interview.
During the 1986 race, Stone brought his hard-nosed style to the down-ballot treasurer’s race. He declared Jacobs would spend $800,000 on television alone –…
