The federal judge overseeing Roger Stone’s criminal case in Washington, D.C., has ordered him to appear in court on Thursday to explain why the gag order she issued last week and his condition of release shouldn’t be modified.
{mosads}The order comes after Stone, an informal adviser of President Trump, shared and quickly deleted a photo of Judge Amy Berman Jackson on his Instagram account over the weekend with what appeared to be small crosshairs next to her head.
Text accompanying the photograph criticized Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, for her prior rulings.
“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 [sic] Hillary Clinton and incarcerated Paul Manafort prior to his conviction for any crime. #fixisin Help me fight for my life at @StoneDefenseFund.com,” the post read.
Stone filed a formal apology with the court on Sunday for what he called an improper photograph and comment and said it had been removed.
“Please inform the court that the photograph and comment today was improper and should not have been posted,” he said in the apology. “I had no intention of disrespecting the court and humbly apologize to the court for the transgression.”
Berman Jackson has ordered Stone to appear at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday for a show cause hearing as to why the media contact order she issued last week or his conditions of release should not be modified or potentially revoked in light of the post.
Berman Jackson on Friday issued a gag barring Stone, his attorneys and prosecutors from discussing the case in public or with the media.
“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,” she said in the ruling.
Stone had been on a media tour prior to the order in an effort to clear his name after he was arrested on Jan. 25 in a pre-dawn FBI raid of his Florida home.
Stone has pleaded not guilty to seven charges stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. His alleged crimes include obstruction of a congressional inquiry, witness tampering and five counts of making false statements to Congress.
He is now out of jail on a $250,000 bond, but the court restricted his travel to the Southern District of Florida, the Southern and Eastern districts of New York, Washington, D.C., and the Eastern District of Virginia.
-Updated 11:10 a.m.