Donald Trump’s campaign adviser and four-decades-long friend, Roger Stone, likes to think of himself as a “dirty trickster.” It is no surprise that he has been pushing the edge of what is legally acceptable. Yet, this time he may have pushed too far, and he is in big trouble.
Stone posted an Instagram photo twice of the judge presiding over his case, Amy Berman Jackson. However, it was the crosshairs in the upper left-hand corner that crossed the line into threatening. Judge Jackson called him back to court.
An Instagram follower saw Stone’s post:
‘Got a notification for another Roger Stone Instagram post…it’s the judge presiding over his case. And in the upper left hand corner it looks like the symbol for crosshairs.’
Stone wrote on his Instagram post that “deep state hitman Robert Mueller” was responsible for this judge being on his case:
‘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 again (sic) Hillary Clinton and incarcerated Paul Manafort prior to his conviction for any crime. Help me fight for my life…’
Jackson ordered Stone to appear in her court where he has to make his case on why she should not “modify or revoke his bail, or implement a full gag order,” according to The Washington Post.
After Stone’s Instagram post showed a photo of the judge with a crosshairs symbol on it. His attorneys must have given him some strong advice. The Trump adviser and his attorneys quickly:
‘…filed a notice with the court that they recognized the “photograph and comment today was improper and should not have been posted.”’
The defendant complained that his photo was “misinterpreted.” It was only “a random photo taken from the Internet.” He said that the idea he was implying a threat to the judge “categorically false.”
Originally, Stone pled not guilty to lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstructing Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Moscow attacking the 2016 presidential election and any conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign.
The FBI arrested the defendant at his home, and he is free on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond at this time. He was the sixth Trump campaign aide charged in Mueller’s case.
Mueller charged him based upon conversations regarding WikiLeaks in the middle of the 2016 presidential election. This was:
‘(The) anti-secrecy group that released material stolen from Democratic groups, including Hillary Clinton’s campaign.’
Jackson ordered a limited gag order:
‘…which prevents Stone from discussing his case near the courthouse and generally bars his lawyers, prosecutors and witnesses from making public comments that could “pose a substantial likelihood” of prejudicing potential jurors. But the order did not constrain Stone from making other public comments about the prosecution or his case.’
Attorneys for Stone claimed that putting any limits on their client’s public comments would interfere with his “constituently protected right to free speech.”
Jackson said the gag order was required to “maintain the dignity and seriousness of the courthouse and these proceedings.”
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
