Key takeaway
The Bahamas is paying Roger Stone for proximity, pressure and access rather than Caribbean policy expertise, accepting a substantial financial and reputational cost.
Publication record
Transparent responsibility and verification details for this Caribbean Issues episode.
- Published
- Updated
- No later revision recorded
- Responsible publisher
- Caribbean Issues Editorial Team
- Verification
- Editorially reviewed under our published method
- Linked source records
- 2 records
- Primary topic
- Caribbean History, Culture and Identity
Listen to the episode
Detailed show notes
This episode audits what the Bahamian government is buying through Roger Stone's five-month, $500,000 share of the DCI Group contract. It traces his playbook from a $500 false-flag campaign contribution in 1972, through the creation of the Black, Manafort and Stone lobbying model, Roy Cohn's attack-never-apologize-always-claim-victory doctrine, and the 2000 Brooks Brothers riot. It then examines Stone's role around the 2016 election, his seven federal convictions, 40-month sentence, commutation and pardon, and his early trademarking of Stop the Steal. The episode argues that the product is not technical policy knowledge but access, attention and publicly tested loyalty, while weighing that potential utility against the opportunity cost and damage to The Bahamas' international reputation.
This episode is part of Caribbean Issues’ Caribbean-first coverage for listeners across the region and Caribbean diaspora communities worldwide.
Questions explored
- What does The Bahamas expect to gain by hiring Roger Stone?
- How did Stone turn political disruption into a marketable lobbying service?
- Why can a conviction and pardon increase an operative's value in a loyalty-driven system?
- Can access to power justify the financial and reputational cost to a small nation?
Episode chapters
- 00:00 When a felony becomes a premium feature
- 01:00 The audit: what does The Bahamas get?
- 02:50 The 1972 false-flag playbook
- 04:28 Black, Manafort and Stone reshape K Street
- 06:09 Roy Cohn's three rules
- 07:07 Policy expertise versus presidential proximity
- 08:42 Engineered chaos and the Brooks Brothers riot
- 11:24 Why would a government hire a demolition crew?
- 13:47 The 2016 election and federal case
- 16:30 Stop the Steal before 2020
- 17:16 A pardon as proof of loyalty
- 18:52 The $500,000 ledger
- 20:02 The reputational cost to The Bahamas
- 21:35 When chaos is the service
- 22:24 Next: the 23-year-old influencer
Episode transcript
A transcript has not yet been supplied for this episode.
Turn this discussion into further learning
Continue with Caribbean books and practical guides designed for readers, families, educators and communities across the region and diaspora.
Sponsorships and affiliate relationships, when used, are identified clearly. Editorial conclusions are not sold or altered for sponsors.
Source and publication notes
Published and editorially reviewed by Caribbean Issues on August 20, 2026. The original episode page is the authoritative source for the audio, complete platform notes, and any subsequent corrections or updates.
Open the original episode page · Open the companion publication and source notes · Editorial standards and corrections policy