A federal judge placed a gag order on Roger Stone and his lawyers to avoid biasing potential jurors

Associated Press

A federal judge has placed a gag order Roger Stone and his lawyers.
Stone has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of false statements, obstruction, and witness tampering.
The gag order bars Stone from discussing his case on courthouse steps, and it restricts his lawyers from discussing his case in the media to avoid biasing potential jurors.

A federal judge has placed a partial gag order on the GOP strategist Roger Stone and his lawyers in order not to bias potential jurors.

The order, issued by US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson in the District of Columbia, states that Stone’s lawyers "must refrain from making statements to the media or in public settings that pose a substantial likelihood of material prejudice."

Stone is also restricted from discussing his case on the courthouse steps, but he is free to discuss it elsewhere.

Arash Hashemi, a criminal defense attorney, told INSIDER in a email that partial or full gag orders are "common in most high-profile cases, and in the Roger Stone case Judge Berman Jackson may take this step because Stone has already been vocal about his indictment."

The current gag order does not prohibit Stone himself from publicly speaking out about the case in most situations, only restricting him from speaking to reporters on courthouse steps before and after his hearings — presumably so as not to bias jurors who may be in the vicinity.

The special counsel Robert Mueller’s office indicted Stone in January on one count of obstruction of justice, five counts of making false statements to the FBI and congressional investigators, and one count of witness tampering in connection with his contacts with people linked to the radical pro-transparency group WikiLeaks.

Stone, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump and early informal campaign adviser, pleaded not guilty to all seven counts. He also emphasized that he would not testify against Trump.

But he did not rule out cooperating against other people embroiled in the investigation.

"If there’s wrongdoing by other people in the campaign that I know about — which I know of none — but if there is, I would testify honestly," Stone said on ABC’s "This Week."

"I would also testify honestly about any other matter, including any communications with the president," he said. "It’s true that we spoke on the phone, but those communications are political in nature."

Stone has frequently echoed Trump’s claims that the Mueller investigation is a rigged "witch hunt" and a deep-state plot meant to take down Trump and anyone who sides with him. He has fundraised for his legal defense by selling T-shirts with the slogan "Roger Stone did nothing wrong."

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Source: Business Insider – gpanetta@businessinsider.com (Grace Panetta)