Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of President Trump, late Monday formally apologized for posting a picture on Instagram of the federal judge overseeing his criminal case with what appeared to be crosshairs next to her face.
“Roger J. Stone hereby apologizes to the Court for the improper photograph and comment posted on Instagram today,” Mr. Stone’s attorneys said in court filing.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Stone posted a picture of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson on his Instagram with what looks like crosshairs in the background. The photo was quickly deleted.
A caption below the photo painted Judge Jackson as a partisan judge who has targeted conservatives.
“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[st] Hillary Clinton and incarcerated Paul Manafort prior to his conviction for any crime #fixisin Help me fight for my life @StoneDefenseFund.com,” the post said
Mr. Stone was arrested last month during an FBI raid of his Florida home. He is charged with obstruction of justice and lying to Congress.
He posted a statement on Instagram later Monday saying that “any inference that this was meant to threaten the judge or disrespect the court is categorically false.” The statement also said the image next to Judge Jackson’s head was not crosshairs, but the “logo of the organization that originally posted it.”
Last week, Judge Jackson slapped Mr. Stone with a gag order.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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