WASHINGTON – Roger Stone issued a formal apology Monday to the federal judge handling his case in the special counsel’s investigation.
“Please inform the Court that the photograph and comment today was improper and should not have been posted,” Stone wrote in a statement submitted by his attorneys. “I had no intention of disrespecting the Court and humbly apologize to the Court for the transgression.”
Stone posted a graphic to his Instagram account earlier Monday that showed U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson placed in front of a set of crosshairs.
“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. #fixisin Help me fight for my life at @StoneDefenseFund.com,” Stone wrote in the post, which has since been deleted. Stone claimed he did not realize that the crosshairs were in the graphic.
Stone was indicted on Jan. 25 on five counts of making false statements to Congress, one count of witness tampering and one count of obstructing an official government proceeding. Mueller’s team has investigated whether Stone had any contact with WikiLeaks or Russian operatives involved in stealing Democrats’ emails during the 2016 campaign.
Stone has denied having any contact with WikiLeaks or Russians, and he had not been charged with any conspiracy to steal or release stolen emails.
Jackson ruled Friday against a motion filed by Stone’s attorneys to have her replaced as judge on the case. The special counsel’s office tapped Jackson to oversee the case because she is handling a related case that falls under the Russia probe.
Jackson is also handling the case against former Trump campaign chairman Manafort.
It remains to be seen whether Stone’s post will lead to a gag order against the longtime GOP operative. Jackson last week declined to impose a full gag order on Stone, though she did prohibit him from speaking publicly about his case at the federal courthouse where he will eventually go to trial. However, Jackson did leave open the possibility of expanding the gag order if Stone makes comments that could influence the case.
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