A federal judge has banned longtime Trump confidante Roger Stone from using social media for any purpose whatsoever.
In a possible violation of his First Amendment rights, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Tuesday imposed the order arguing Stone had repeatedly violated a gag order from February.
“An irate Judge Amy Berman Jackson did not revoke his bail but instead ordered Stone to stay off Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and to not make posts ‘in any way or on any subject,’” The Hill reported, adding that she read some of Stone’s recent Instagram posts.
NEW: The judge in Roger Stone's case issued an order making clear that in addition to her new ban on posting anything on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (see: https://t.co/7GUYrgTO6V), he still can't talk about his case on "any other form of social media" https://t.co/u25dgy37Zh pic.twitter.com/tseT4dEyZx
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) July 17, 2019
“If it’s schiff, flush it,” read one of Stone’s posts, referring to House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), as Jackson asked his attorney how the posts did not violate the gag order.
Politico notes the Obama-appointed judge all but threw up her arms when it came to Stone’s supposedly frequent violation of the gag order, asking Stone after her ruling, “What am I supposed to do with you?”
In addition to being barred from discussing the case in any capacity, Stone may not have “statements made publicly on his behalf by surrogates, family members, spokespersons, representatives, or volunteers,” the order states.
The recommendation to ban Stone’s social media use came from federal prosecutor Jonathan Kravis, who claimed the former Infowars War Room host did “clearly violate” the gag order.
Calling it “not a good use of the court’s resources,” Judge Jackson did not order a contempt hearing to address the gag order violations, but instead refused to “revoke bond at this time.”
Stone “continued to test the limits, which brings us to the current posts,” Jackson said, adding “It seems he is determined to make himself the subject of a story.”
Stone is facing charges of witness tampering as a result of FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
“The court appears desperate to keep Stone from discussing his case,” notes freelance journalist Peter M. D’Abrosca.
His trial is set for November.
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