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Judge puts gag order on Roger Stone and attorneys

Posted at 3:13 PM, Feb 15, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-15 18:47:22-05

A federal judge has placed a gag order on longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone and attorneys involved in his criminal case, though Stone’s ability to speak publicly isn’t completely restricted.

Lawyers “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,” Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote.

They, their clients and even Stone are also not allowed to speak in and around the courthouse.

In her order, Jackson notes how effective Stone has been in gaining followers, critics and media attention. She notes “the size and vociferousness of the crowds that have already been attracted to these proceedings, and the risk that public pronouncements by the participants may inflame those gatherings.”

Jackson’s gag order on the attorneys matches word for word the gag order she put on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his deputy Rick Gates, their attorneys and others involved in their cases soon after their 2017 indictment. Manafort’s and Gates’ teams have interpreted that order to be very strict, preventing them from speaking nearly at all times with reporters and in public venues.

Twice, Manafort’s and Gates’ actions drew reprimands from Jackson that they had crossed the line of the order: once after Gates appeared in a video to raise money for his legal defense and the other after Manafort ghost-wrote an op-ed for a Ukrainian newspaper in support of himself.

Jackson noted to Stone today that “there will be no additional restrictions imposed on the defendant’s public statements or appearances at this time.”

Stone has made several rounds of media interviews — even starring in a video about how to dress for a court appearance — since his arrest on January 25 on charges of witness intimidation, obstruction of justice and lying to Congress. Jackson has already barred Stone from contacting any potential witnesses in his case, even indirectly, including Jerome Corsi and Randy Credico, who’ve spoken about their work with him as he sought to get in touch with WikiLeaks about damaging Democratic emails in 2016.