After months of taunting congressional Russia investigators from afar, Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of President Donald Trump, arrived Tuesday on Capitol Hill to meet them face-to-face for what he had promised would be "epic" testimony debunking charges of collusion between the Kremlin and Trump associates.

The Republican operative was set to testify behind closed doors as part of the House Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. But officials were braced for his unique brand of theatrics before, during and after the session, not least because Stone had said he would bring a reporter and cameraman to Capitol Hill with him. On Tuesday, Stone arrived with a reporter for InfoWars — the site anchored by Stone ally Alex Jones — who trailed him until he entered the secure hearing room.

Even while he testified behind closed doors, Stone's presence was evident. Five supporters, who identified themselves as members of Blacks for Trump, a group that often shows up at Trump rallies in support of the president, gathered outside the hearing room to show support for Stone. Their shirts read "Trump & Republicans are not racist."

After briefly holding court outside the room, the men left after a Capitol Police officer approached them about whether they had permission to be in a staff-only area.