Trump adviser Stone loses bid to lift court-imposed gag order as trial looms

[October 23, 2019]  By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's former adviser Roger Stone lost a last-ditch effort on Tuesday to lift a court-imposed gag order barring him from posting on social media or discussing his criminal case slated to begin next month.

In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to overturn the gag order imposed by a lower court, saying Stone and his family had "failed to avail themselves of adequate alternative remedies" to address their concerns that the gag order violated Stone's First Amendment free speech.

Bruce Rogow, the lead attorney on Stone's defense team, told Reuters in an email he was "disappointed" by Tuesday's ruling.

Stone has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of making false statements to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

The charges stemmed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and the case is now being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

The upcoming Nov. 5 trial for Stone, a long-time Republican political strategist and self-described “agent provocateur” and “dirty trickster,” is widely expected to be filled with quirky moments that are not typically seen in a criminal case.

Roger Stone, longtime political ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives for a hearing to convince a judge to dismiss charges stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., May 30, 2019. REUTERS/Al Drago/File Photo

Most recently, for instance, prosecutors and Stone's defense team tussled over whether the government could play a clip for the jury from the movie "The Godfather Part II" because Stone, in text messages sent to a witness in his case, made reference to a character from the film who pressures someone to give false testimony to Congress.

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