Update 3:30 p.m. EST Feb. 15: Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued the 4-page ruling, placing restrictions on attorneys from both parties from making statements to the media or the public that could influence the trial. Berman also ordered Stone to refrain from making public comments on the case within the vicinity of the courthouse. While Stone is free to continue expressing his opinions via social media, which he is known for, Berman reserved the right to adjust the order as necessary in the future.
Breaking: A federal judge ordered Roger Stone, his attorneys and special counsel Robert Mueller to stop talking publicly about their case https://t.co/2lshVbpDPK
— POLITICO (@politico) February 15, 2019
Original report: Political consultant Roger Stone, a former campaign adviser to President Donald Trump, appeared in court Friday as a judge considered whether to order Stone not to publicly speak about the case against him.
Stone, who faces charges of obstruction, giving false statements and witness tampering, appeared before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Friday, three days after he pleaded not guilty to charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team.
Berman Jackson said in court Friday that she is still considering whether to issue a gag order in the case, according to BuzzFeed News.
Roger Stone's hearing is over — judge said she's considering imposing a gag order, but hasn't made up her mind yet. She said she understood Stone's desire to tell his story, but she had to ensure a fair trial: "This is a criminal proceeding and not a public relations campaign..."
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) February 1, 2019
Berman Jackson also presides over Mueller’s case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and issued a similar gag order in that matter after a lawyer for Manafort addressed reporters after his first court appearance.
Since his arrest Jan. 25 at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Stone has been outspoken in proclaiming his innocence and criticizing Mueller’s team, which he has accused of targeting him because of his politics.
In an indictment unsealed last week, investigators alleged Stone misled lawmakers about his pursuit of Democratic emails that were published by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks during the run-up to the 2016 election. Authorities say the emails were stolen from Democrats by Russian operatives.
The indictment does not charge Stone with conspiring with WikiLeaks or with the Russian officers. Instead, it accuses him of witness tampering, obstruction and false statements about his interactions related to WikiLeaks' release.
>> Mueller investigation: Former Trump adviser Roger Stone pleads not guilty
“I am not accused of Russian collusion, I am not accused of collaboration with WikiLeaks, I am not accused of conspiracy,” Stone said. “There is no evidence or accusation that I knew in advance about the source or content of the WikiLeaks material.”
White House officials said last week that the charges against Stone “have nothing to do with the president, nothing to do with the White House.”
In a court filing Thursday, prosecutors with Mueller’s office said the FBI seized physical devices from his home, apartment and office. They said multiple hard drives containing several terabytes of information have been recovered, including bank and financial records and the contents of numerous phones and computers.
Stone is the sixth Trump aide to be charged in connection with Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and its possible ties to Trump campaign officials.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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