It was the second time in two months that a Trump adviser has run afoul of a judge by trying to undermine the legal process he found himself at the mercy of. Michael Flynn got a similar tongue-lashing from his judge after his lawyers suggested before a sentencing hearing that he had been treated unfairly and even tricked into lying to investigators. They argued this despite Flynn having pleaded guilty to that crime. The judge in that case suggested that he might sentence Flynn to jail time, even though special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team didn’t recommend any.<doc-sep>A federal judge on Tuesday ordered former Trump adviser Roger Stone to appear in court to consider whether his bail will be revoked after he posted a picture of her on Instagram showing what appeared to be crosshairs in the background. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Stone to show up on Thursday afternoon to argue why she should not modify or revoke his bail -- or even impose a full gag order. ROGER STONE APOLOGIZES AFTER SHARING JUDGE'S PHOTO, DENIES THREAT Stone deleted the photo, but later posted the same one again, this time without the crosshairs, and slammed the trial in a caption. “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’s post was captioned. Stone and his lawyers filed a notice on Monday night, admitting that sharing the picture wasn’t appropriate and that he apologizes. His lawyer also said he plans to apologize in person Thursday. “Please inform the Court that the photograph and comment today was improper and should not have been posted. I had no intention of disrespecting the Court and humbly apologize to the Court for the transgression,” Stone said. MUELLER CLAIMS TO HAVE EVIDENCE ROGER STONE COMMUNICATED WITH WIKILEAKS On Instagram, Stone said that the post has been “misinterpreted” and denied he tried to threaten the judge. “A photo of Judge Jackson posted on my Instagram has been misinterpreted. This was a random photo taken from the Internet. Any inference that this was meant to somehow threaten the Judge or disrespect court is categorically false,” he wrote. Stone pleaded not guilty last month to obstruction of justice, witness tampering and making false statements to Congress after being indicted last week as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. The indictment alleges that Stone worked to obstruct the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 election by making false statements to the committee, denying he had records sought by the committee and persuading a witness to provide false testimony. The indictment does not charge Stone with conspiring with WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy website that published Clinton campaign emails, or with Russian officers Mueller says hacked them. Instead, it accuses him of witness tampering, obstruction, and false statements about his interactions related to WikiLeaks. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jackson last week issued a limited gag order, preventing Stone from discussing the case near the courthouse -- but it does not stop Stone from making other public comments about the case. In implementing the limited gag order on Friday, Jackson said it was necessary to "maintain the dignity and seriousness of the courthouse and these proceedings." Fox News' Lukas Mikelionis, Lillian LeCroy, Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Dana Bash: This is so telling about where the Republican party is NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on August 24, 2018 in New York City. Following new allegations over hush money that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to an adult-film actress, the Manhattan district attorneyÕs office in New York City may seek criminal charges against the Trump Organization in the coming days. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Why GOP is standing in the way of Capitol riot investigation WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) remarks on the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the US Capitol November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Warner said he supports President George W. Bush's nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates for Secretary of Defense. Warner said he anticipates Gates' confirmation before the end of the year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined by Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (L) and Senate Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), speaks following a Senate Republican Policy luncheon at the Russell Senate Office Building on May 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. Roger Stone, a former adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, leaves the Prettyman United States Courthouse after a hearing February 1, 2019 in Washington, DC. (CNN) — Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Thursday dramatically restricted Roger Stone’s ability to speak publicly about his case after he published an Instagram post with what appeared to be the crosshairs of a gun drawn behind her head. Stone may now not speak publicly about the investigation or the case or any participants in the investigation or the case. “Period,” Jackson said. The development will in effect silence one of the most outspoken and politicized former advisers of President Donald Trump, as Stone fights against special counsel Robert Mueller in a case related to his interactions in 2016 with Russians and the Trump campaign. Jackson made her revision to her previous court order that had prevented Stone from speaking in and around the courthouse. Jackson’s new mandate came swiftly and sternly in a court hearing in which Stone got tripped up by his own story and apologies. Four days ago, Stone had posted then removed a photo of Jackson on Instagram that had crosshairs – or what Stone called a “Celtic cross” – behind her head. His lawyers had drawn up a written apology to Jackson Monday, which Stone said he signed but did not write. That’s when Jackson ordered him to court, prompting Stone to fly in from Florida to Washington, DC, Thursday morning. His defense counsel kicked off the hearing by having Stone reiterate his apology – this time under oath, from the witness box. But as soon as Jackson jumped in to question Stone, he began to contradict his explanations for the post and for his remorse. Jackson said she did not believe his testimony, and believed he understood how inflammatory the image he posted was, especially among his followers. “Roger Stone fully understands the power of words and the power of symbols. There’s nothing ambiguous about crosshairs.” “What he chose,” she said, “had a more sinister message.” “In the world of social media, there’s no such thing as a take-back,” she added. Ultimately, Jackson said Stone from now on could issue no more statements on the radio, no press releases, no blogs, no media interviews, no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat posts about the case, which has drawn him several interviews and media attention since his January 25 arrest. No statements can be made on his behalf by spokespersons, family members or even “many volunteers,” either, Jackson said, citing some of the people around him whom Stone tried to say found the offensive photo and had access to his cell phone. As he listened to the judge tighten his speech restrictions, Stone closed his eyes, leaning back with his head in his hands. Several times, he attempted to argue his side over the judge’s questioning, or grimaced, gestured broadly and licked his lips while he spoke. His time on the witness stand had not gone smoothly, and Jackson had grown impatient with his imprecise and changing answers as testimony. At one point, Stone tried to explain that he didn’t select the image with the crosshairs for any particular reason – that it was random, and he wasn’t thinking what it could mean. On the same day, prosecutors pointed out at the hearing, Stone criticized the judge and spoke about his case to the media, including on the conservative radio show “Infowars,” and even claimed the media had unfairly targeted him because of the post. Still, he offered a full mea culpa to Jackson in court. “I don’t offer any rationalization or excuse or justification. This is just a stupid lack of judgment,” Stone testified in the dramatic 90-minute hearing in a packed courtroom. “I regret it,” the longtime Republican political operative and self-described “dirty trickster” added. Jackson did not accept Stone’s explanation, at one point using air quotes when she said the word “apologize.” “Thank you, but the apology rings quite hollow,” she said. “No, Mr. Stone, I’m not giving you another chance,” she added. If Stone violates her order again, Jackson said, he could be detained. “This is not baseball,” she added. “There will not be a third chance.” Stone did not comment to reporters upon leaving the courthouse. He is currently out on bail and able to travel in and around Washington, New York City and in South Florida, where he lives. Instagram post Stone testified that a volunteer working for him had downloaded the picture of Jackson, but he himself wrote the post and published it. He said he did not know who the person was — no one among his bevy of helpers would confess to finding the photo, which appeared to come from a conspiracy website, nor could he remember who his helpers were on Monday, he testified.<doc-sep>The federal judge overseeing the criminal case against the longtime GOP strategist Roger Stone has barred him from publicly discussing any aspect of his case. The move came after Stone uploaded an inflammatory photo to his Instagram account that showed US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson's face over crosshairs. Jackson said Stone had "promptly abused" the leniency he was afforded in his initial gag order, which only barred him from discussing his case on courthouse steps but not anywhere else. Stone took full responsibility for the post, calling it " an egregious, stupid error for which I apologize to the court." A federal judge barred the longtime GOP strategist Roger Stone from publicly discussing any aspect of his ongoing legal case following a court hearing on Thursday. The full gag order came after Stone uploaded a post to his Instagram on Monday that appeared to threaten the judge, US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, by showing her face over crosshairs. The caption on the post, which has since been deleted, attacked her as an "Obama-appointed" judge who "dismissed" charges against Hillary Clinton and for revoking the bond of Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign. After Stone testified at the hearing Thursday, Jackson said he had "promptly abused" the leniency he was afforded in his original gag order, which permitted him to discuss his ongoing case everywhere except the courthouse steps. Read more: Roger Stone apologized to a judge for posting an Instagram photo of her face next to a crosshairs Jackson had previously placed a partial gag order on Stone and his lawyers to prevent biasing potential jurors. The order prohibited Stone's lawyers "from making statements to the media or in public settings that pose a substantial likelihood of material prejudice." Now, Stone is allowed to raise money for his legal defense fund but cannot make any public statements about his own case or any participants in it. While the Instagram post did not technically violate the parameters of the initial gag order, the nature of the photo caused Jackson to order Stone and his lawyers back into court to re-evaluate the order. The special counsel Robert Mueller's office indicted Stone in January on one count of obstruction of justice, five counts of making false statements to the FBI and congressional investigators, and one count of witness tampering in connection with his contacts with people linked to the radical pro-transparency group WikiLeaks. Stone, a longtime Trump ally who was also an early informal campaign adviser, pleaded not guilty to all seven counts. He also emphasized that he would not testify against Trump but left the door open to cooperating with prosecutors against others on the campaign who may be ensnared in the Russia probe. Read more: Mueller indicts former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone on charges of obstruction, false statements, and witness tampering Roger Stone, longtime political ally of US President Donald Trump, flashes a trademark Nixon victory gesture as he departs following a status conference in the criminal case against him brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller at US District Court in Washington, US, February 1, 2019. Jim Bourg/Reuters At Thursday's hearing, Stone took responsibility for posting the incendiary message and expressed remorse, attributing his "lapse in judgment" to "extreme stress" over his case and paying his legal bills. "I am kicking myself for my own stupidity, but not more than my wife is kicking me," Stone said on the witness stand. "This was an egregious, stupid error for which I apologize to the court." Stone maintained, however, that one of the "volunteers" who help him run his social media accounts picked out the photo, and he believed at the time that the background contained Celtic crosses or an Occult symbol instead of crosshairs, according to BuzzFeed News' Zoe Tillman. Jonathan Kravis, one of the federal prosecutors involved in arguing Stone's case, asked Jackson for a tighter gag order on both Stone and his lawyers after cross-examining Stone. Kravis argued that Stone's apology was "not credible," given the fact that a Facebook page belonging to Stone continued to share articles from right-wing websites Infowars and the Gateway Pundit which called accusations that the photo of Berman Jackson contained crosshairs "a hoax." Stone also did a live interview on Infowars during which he repeated some of the claims against Berman Jackson expressed in the Instagram post. Stone's lawyers agreed that their client's conduct on social media was "indefensible," but asked for no changes to the existing media contact order. Jackson emphasized that Stone's current bond will be revoked and he will be jailed if he violates his new, stricter gag order. Kravis works for the US attorney's office in Washington, DC, and his appearance during Thursday's hearing confirms that Mueller's team is beginning to hand off certain casework to other Justice Department offices as the attorney general, William Barr, reportedly prepares to announce the end of the Russia investigation. In addition to Stone's case, federal prosecutors in Washington, DC, are also said to be handling Mueller's criminal case involving a Russian social-media conspiracy, as well as an ongoing court battle with an unidentified foreign corporation fighting a grand-jury subpoena.<doc-sep>
Roger Stone, the veteran political operative and former adviser to Donald Trump, appeared Thursday in federal court to face Judge Amy Berman Jackson, whom Stone targeted in an inflammatory Instagram post earlier in the week. Stone has apologized for the post both publicly and in court documents, but Judge Jackson summoned him to return to U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., for a show cause hearing to explain why the conditions of his release and limited gag order "should not be modified or revoked in light of the posts on his Instagram account." "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 Hillary Clinton and incarcerated Paul Manafort prior to his conviction for any crime," Stone wrote in a caption to the post, which featured a picture of Judge Jackson with a what appeared to be a crosshairs in the upper corner. Stone completed the caption with the request, "Help me fight for my life" and a link to his legal defense fund. In an apology signed by Stone entered into the case's docket on Monday, he wrote, "Please inform the Court that the photograph and comment today was improper and should not have been posted. I had no intention of disrespecting the Court and humbly apologize to the Court for the transgression.” In a statement to ABC News on Monday before Jackson's order, Stone wrote, "A photo of Judge Jackson posted on my Instagram has been misinterpreted. This was a random photo taken from the Internet. Any inference that this was meant to somehow disrespect the Court is categorically false. What some say are crosshairs are in fact the logo of the organization that originally posted it something called corruption central. They use the logo in many photos." Reached by ABC News Tuesday following Judge Jackson's order, Stone said, "I will be present for the hearing as ordered." Special counsel Robert Mueller indicted Stone in January on five counts of lying to Congress, as well as witness tampering, and obstruction of justice as part of Mueller's probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian election meddlers in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Stone has pleaded not guilty to all seven counts. On Friday, Judge Jackson issued a limited gag order in Stone's case to protect potential jurors from being “tainted by pretrial publicity.” Under the order, which the judge described as “narrowly-tailored,” Stone, known for his frequent and colorful television interviews, is currently allowed to continue speaking publicly about the probe – as long as he refrains from doing so near the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. But, according to Jackson's order, she reserved the right to expand the order. What's more, she pointed out that any statements Stone made publicly could affect the court's view of any future arguments he might make about whether he is getting a fair trial due to pre-trial publicity. The judge said the fate of any motion on that point could depend on the extent of his own role as the source of the publicity. “While it is not up to the Court to advise the defendant as to whether a succession of public statements would be in his best interest at this time, it notes that one factor that will be considered in the evaluation of any future request for relief based on pretrial publicity will be the extent to which the publicity was engendered by the defendant himself," Jackson wrote in Friday's order.