Stone's lawyers argued that placing any limits on his public comments would infringe on his constituently protected right to free speech. But the order did not constrain Stone from making other public comments about the prosecution or his case. Last week, Jackson issued 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. He's currently free on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond. Stone was arrested last month and is the sixth Trump aide or adviser charged in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. The photo posted on Stones Instagram account included language that accused the judge of being part of an organized scheme against him directed by the 'Deep State,' according to several media. The charges stem from conversations he had during the 2016 election about WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that released material stolen from Democratic groups, including Hillary Clinton's campaign. Stones post caught the attention of social media users who said the use of crosshairs was a threat against the very judge currently handling his case. The political operative and self-described dirty trickster has pleaded not guilty to charges he lied to Congress, engaged in witness tampering and obstructed a congressional investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Stone said the photo was "misinterpreted" and that it was "a random photo taken from the Internet." He dismissed any suggestion that he was trying to threaten the judge as "categorically false." Later in the day, Stone and his attorneys filed a notice with the court that they recognized the "photograph and comment today was improper and should not have been posted." Mueller's prosecutors had previously alleged that Stone's communications with WikiLeaks were made through two intermediaries.On Monday, Stone posted a photo of Jackson with what appeared to be crosshairs near her head. Stone has denied the charges against him, and claims that his communications with WikiLeaks and Russian hackers Guccifer 2.0 were "innocuous" in a statement Friday. In court documents submitted Friday, prosecutors alleged that in 2016 Stone had direct contact with transparency organization WikiLeaks and Russian hackers who stole thousands of emails from Democrat National Committee servers and leaked them to the site. Stone had after previous hearings given impromptu press conferences outside court, denouncing the investigation against him and throwing up the V-shaped hand sign used his idol, President Richard Nixon, to mean "victory." He also launched a media and social media blitz attacking the probe as part of a partisan plot. His lawyers, the prosecutors and witnesses are under broader constraints to prevent prejudicing potential jurors. He is banned from making statements about the case in or around the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C, but he can make other public statements. Jackson imposed a limited gag order on Stone Friday and said the move was necessary to avoid public bias and provide him with a fair trial. Mueller's prosecutors allege that Stone was directed by a Trump official to acquire emails from WikiLeaks that contained damaging information on Trump's rival for the 2016 presidency, Hillary Clinton. Download this Crosshairs In Front Of A Stone Wall photo now. "Any inference that this was meant to somehow threaten the Judge or disrespect court is categorically false."Ī self-proclaimed master of political "dirty tricks," Stone was indicted in January and pleaded not guilty to charges that he lied to Congress and sought to prevent the testimony of a potential witness by prosecutors for special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. This was a random photo taken from the Internet," Stone said in the statement. "A photo of Judge Jackson posted on my Instagram has been misinterpreted. In a message posted on Instagram, Stone rejected claims that the image was intended as a threat toward the judge. tbjLI0S81c- Kyle Griffin February 18, 2019 There is a crosshair in the upper left corner of the picture. In his latest Instagram post, Roger Stone attacks Judge Amy Berman Jackson, the federal judge overseeing his case.
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