Roger Stone says he's still proud of his efforts to elect Trump

Former Trump associate Roger Stone said in an interview with "Axios on HBO" that he is still proud of his efforts to elect President Trump, but stopped short of sharing any regrets on the matter due to a court gag order.

• Stone, who wasn't on the Trump's campaign payroll, said in his first on-camera interview since his sentencing last month: "One does not have to be on a campaign staff ... given the modern miracle of social media and the ability to communicate."

The big picture: Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison in February, after being found guilty of charges resulting from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the 2016 election.

• Stone said repeatedly in the interview that Donald Trump is Donald Trump's best strategist.

Stone declined to comment on looming questions surrounding his efforts — including whether Trump will pardon him — due to a gag order preventing him from discussing the case.

• "I'm not going to discuss anything that pertains to this case, [or] that could be inferred to pertain to the case," Stone said.

Stone is free during consideration of a motion he has filed for a new trial.