Roger Stone set to stand trial on Nov. 5 in Russia investigation

As a self-described Republican dirty trickster, Roger Stone spent decades gleefully and gratuitously inspiring ire among his critics and opponents.

Now the former political advisor to President Trump is struggling to stay in the good graces of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson while awaiting trial in the Russia investigation.

He appeared to get a reprieve Thursday when he returned to Jackson’s courtroom for a status conference. There were no fireworks over whether Stone had violated her gag order with the release of his book “The Myth of Russian Collusion.”

Jackson instead set a trial date of Nov. 5. Stone’s legal team will review nine terabytes of potential evidence collected by prosecutors — if printed, enough paper to be stacked twice as high as the Washington Monument, according to one of his lawyers.

Stone faces seven charges involving lying to the House Intelligence Committee about his conversations involving WikiLeaks, the organization that released thousands of hacked Democratic Party emails during the 2016 presidential campaign. He has pleaded not guilty.

Thursday’s hearing occurred as new signs suggested special counsel Robert S. Mueller was wrapping up his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race and whether the Trump campaign cooperated with the Kremlin.

If Mueller closes up shop soon, Stone’s trial likely will be handled by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, which also has worked on the case.

Stone angered Jackson last month with an inflammatory Instagram post that included a crosshairs symbol next to her head. In response, Jackson tightened an earlier gag order and barred Stone from saying almost anything about the case.