Trump adviser Stone loses bid to lift court-imposed gag order as trial
looms
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[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.
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![](../images/102319PIX/news_x43.jpg)
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
![](../images/ads/current/fitzpatrick_lda_SPONSOR_2017.png)
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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