Judge Expands Gag Order on Roger Stone: No Further Public Statements on Case

A federal judge on Thursday issued a gag order on longtime political operative Roger Stone, ordering the Trump ally to refrain from making further public statements regarding his case.

“I’m not giving you another chance,” federal U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said before a Washington, D.C. courtroom after Stone apologized repeatedly for his now-deleted Instagram post which was critical of her. “I have serious doubts about whether you have learned any lesson at all.”

“The defendant may not speak publicly about the case. Period,’ the judge then ruled. “He may not comment about the case indirectly.”

Stone unexpectedly took the stand Thursday, testifying “I don’t offer any rationalization or excuse or justification. This is just a stupid lack of judgment.”

“I regret it,” he added.

On Monday, Stone apologized to Jackson, who is presiding over his criminal case, for the post featuring a photo of her next to a logo similar to the crosshairs of a gun. He said that the picture had been “misinterpreted” and that any suggestion he intended to threaten Jackson was “categorically false.”

“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,” the post read.

Roger Stone now directly attacking the federal judge presiding over his case and posting a pic of her head beside crosshairs pic.twitter.com/ze3lnuoSOE

— Jon Swaine (@jonswaine) February 18, 2019

Jackson ordered a limited gag order for Stone last Friday as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s case against the Trump ally. “Counsel for the parties and the witnesses must refrain from making statements to the media or in public settings that pose a substantial likelihood of material prejudice to this case,” the judge said at the time of the ruling.

Further, Jackson ordered attorneys and potential witnesses to stop commenting to the media when entering and exiting the courthouse where Stone’s trial will be held later this summer or fall.

Stone is charged with lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering related to discussions he had during the 2016 election about WikiLeaks.

The Trump ally pleaded not guilty to all charges.