Stone opposes gag order in Mueller case
Political commentator wants new judge, cites rights violation
Attorneys for President Donald Trump’s longtime confidant Roger Stone urged a federal judge overseeing his criminal trial not to impose a gag order, citing his constitutional rights to free speech as a writer and political commentator, and asked to have his case reassigned to a different judge.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of Washington last week warned she might cut off public comments by parties and attorneys in Stone’s case after he went on a weeklong media blitz following his indictment and arrest in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
“This is a criminal proceeding, not a public-relations campaign,” Jackson said, suggesting both sides argue the case in court, “not on the talk show circuit” or on “a book tour.”
She asked each side to inform her of its position on a proposal to set a gag order by Friday. In their reply, prosecutors with Mueller’s team and the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia did not oppose an order, citing a “substantial likelihood” that out-of-court comments will undermine a fair trial.
Stone, 66, a longtime GOP operative and self-described “dirty trickster,” has pleaded not guilty to charges of lying about his efforts to gather information about hacked Democratic Party emails that were published by the WikiLeaks organization.
In saying he should be free to comment during his case, Stone’s defense team played down his celebrity and the impact his comments might have on potential jurors.
“While Roger Stone may be familiar to those who closely follow American politics, he is hardly ubiquitous in the larger landscape of popular consciousness,” and has no Twitter account.