Jun 20, 2019

Prosecutors accuse Roger Stone of violating gag order with social media posts

Zachary Basu

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Federal prosecutors on Thursday accused longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone, who is currently awaiting trial on charges stemming from the Mueller investigation, of violating the terms of his gag order by posting about his case on social media.

"Stone placed the June 18 and June 19 posts on a social media platform specifically identified in the Court’s order, Instagram. The posts refer to Stone’s filings in this case and they target the investigation that was conducted by the Special Counsel and FBI of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The posts, moreover, tag major media outlets, effectively calling on those outlets to cover Stone’s allegations."

Why it matters: The notoriously brash and self-described "dirty trickster" has been on thin ice for months. In February, Judge Amy Berman Jackson hit Stone with a full gag order for posting an Instagram that appeared to show her face near a crosshairs symbol, with a caption that described her as an "Obama-appointed judge who dismissed the Benghazi charges against Hillary Clinton."

  • Prosecutors argue that Stone's recent antics "appear calculated to generate media coverage of information that is not relevant to this case but that could prejudice potential jurors." They have requested a hearing with Judge Jackson to review the allegations.

Read the court filing:

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 a.m. ET: 664,695 — Total deaths: 30,847 — Total recoveries: 140,156.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 1 a.m. ET: 124,464 — Total deaths: 2,191 — Total recoveries: 1,095.
  3. Federal government latest: President Trump announces new travel advisories for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, but rules out quarantine enforcement. Per the CDC, residents of those states must now "refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days," with the exception of critical infrastructure industry workers.
  4. State updates: Alaska is latest state to issue a stay-at-home order — New York is trying to nearly triple its hospital capacity in less than a month and has moved its presidential primary to June 23. Some Midwestern swing voters who backed Trump's handling of the virus less than two weeks ago are balking at his call for the U.S. to be "opened up" by Easter.
  5. World updates: In Spain, over 1,400 people were confirmed dead between Thursday to Saturday.
  6. 🚀 Space updates: OneWeb filed for bankruptcy amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
  7. Hollywood: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have returned to U.S. after being treated for coronavirus.
  8. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk
  9. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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