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Weird alliances always emerge in politics, but when marijuana gets thrown into the mix, the partnerships can get downright trippy.

Now, weed has brought together one of the right wings most notorious, flamboyant, conspiracy-slinging publicity hounds with an equally voluble trial lawyer from the left who was one of Hillary Clintons biggest financial benefactors.

On the right is Roger Stone, the boastful dirty tricks aficionado and sometimes guest host on the Infowars broadcast, a news staple for the fringe right.

Stone was a mastermind behind then-candidate Donald Trumps rise and an enthusiastic promoter of some of Trumps most vicious attacks against Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. Stone often pushed the envelope much further than Trump himself, for example, publishing a widely discredited book accusing Hillary Clinton of helping her husband cover up rape.

Clintons campaign has charged that Stone coordinated with the hackers who broke into its computer system and published campaign emails on WikiLeaks. Stone was banned during the campaign from appearing on CNN and MSNBC after making racially charged and sexist attacks on fellow commentators on Twitter.

On the left is John Morgan, the deep-pocketed, publicity-seeking trial lawyer who is perennially rumored to be exploring a run for governor of Florida, the politically colorful state where Stone is also based at least part time.

Stone has a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his back. Morgan owns three thoroughbred race horses.

The only thing the two men seem to have in common, beyond their taste for publicity and good living, is revulsion at laws that ban marijuana.

For a while, that was not enough to bring them together. A few years ago, while Morgan was bankrolling an ultimately unsuccessful ballot measure to legalize medical pot in Florida, Stone accused him of nefarious scheming, suggesting it was all part of a plot to expand Morgans personal fortune and political power. (A separate Morgan-sponsored medical marijuana measure was passed by Florida voters in November.)

Now, Stone and Morgan are smoking the peace pipe. They have formed the United States Cannabis Coalitionto pressure Trump to let states continue to pursue their own paths on marijuana. The group was created in response to warnings from the administration that a crackdown on pot may be coming.

These Trump administration officials are disserving the president and ignoring the forthright position he took during the campaign, Stone said in a statement. It is our intention to identify, reachand mobilize millions of pro-cannabis voters to urge the president to keep his word.

Originally posted here:
Trump dirty tricks man and Clinton mega-donor smoke a weed-filled peace pipe - Los Angeles Times