Roger Stone, former campaign advisor to President Donald Trump goes to trial Tuesday in Washington, D.C., on charges of witness tampering and lying to Congress regarding his attempt to use Russian-hacked Hillary Clinton emails in the 2016 election.
The trial promises to be controversial as the defendant, who has been banned from using social media by Judge Amy Berman Jackson, Fox News reported Tuesday.
Roger Stone, former campaign adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, is accompanied by his wife Nydia as he departs following a pre-trial hearing at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., Nov. 4, 2019. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Since his arrest in January by a para-military police, Stone has sparred with his Obama-appointed judge and continued to comment on current affairs and fashion.(RELATED: Trump Wants To Know Where Hillary Clinton’s Indictment Is After Roger Stone’s Arrest)
After obtaining bail on a $250,000 bond, Stone did several interviews discussing the apparently overblown police raid and held up his arms with the “V” for victory sign during a photo op with reporters, Fox News noted. Stone angered Jackson by posting a picture of the judge on his Instagram account with what appeared to be gun crosshairs behind the image.
Roger Stone, longtime political ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, flashes a victory gesture as he departs following a status conference in the criminal case against him brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., Feb.1, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Bourg
“Through legal trickery, Deep State hitman Robert Mueller has guaranteed that my upcoming show trial is before Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointed Judge who dismissed the Benghazi charges against Hillary Clinton and incarcerated Paul Manafort prior to his conviction for any crime,” Stone wrote beneath the picture.
Stone’s subsequent apology for the post did not stop Jackson from banning him from using social media but the judicial order did not prevent Stone from calling former Special Counsel Robert Mueller “crooked” and reportedly suggested ex-CIA Director John Brennan deserved to be executed. (RELATED: How Exactly Did CNN Get Footage Of Roger Stone’s Arrest?)
“So what am I supposed to do with you?” Judge Jackson asked at one stage in the pretrial discovery, according to Fox. “It seems as if, once again, I’m wrestling with behavior that has more to do with middle school than a court of law. It’s tempting to ignore it all completely, but if I don’t respect and uphold my own orders, why would I expect anyone else to?”
Jackson said, “You’ve shown me that you’re unwilling to stop talking about the investigation, which means that you’re unwilling to conform your conduct to the orders of the court. The goal has been to draw maximum attention to what you view as flaws in the investigation.”
Stone has not indicated whether he will be his own defense attorney or if he has hired a lawyer. The trial could also focus on the testimony of former Trump aide Steve Bannon who is expected to be a witness.