Roger Stone jurors say bias played no role in his conviction
NEW YORK _ Three of the jurors who convicted Republican operative Roger Stone for lying to Congress and witness tampering testified that political bias played no role in their decision, pushing back against Stone's contention that he deserves a new trial.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson did not issue a ruling at the end of a Tuesday hearing on Stone's request. But the judge said a juror's social media posts criticizing President Donald Trump did not necessarily mean she was biased against Stone, who was convicted in November and sentenced last week to three years and four months in prison.
At the beginning of the hearing in Washington, the judge sharply criticized the president and "false" news reports for promoting claims of bias she said could endanger jurors. "The risk of harassment and intimidation of any juror who may testify in the hearing later today is extremely high," Jackson said, adding that "the jury has even been publicly criticized by the President of the United States."
The notion that Stone's trial was tainted by left-leaning jury members, particularly the foreperson, has been promoted aggressively by Trump and right-wing media in recent days. The president, who has also hinted he may pardon his longtime ally, tweeted further on the issue Tuesday.
_ Bloomberg News
