Roger Stone circus folds its tent in South Florida, pitches a new one in D.C. courtroom
WASHINGTON _ It's showtime for Roger J. Stone Jr., a man who loves the spotlight.
Jury selection begins here Tuesday for the federal trial of the prominent and controversial South Floridian, a close ally of President Donald Trump.
In the months leading up to his trial, expected to last for two weeks, Stone's case has taken on an air of a big top circus. He's been threatened with a gag order, then hit with one in late February after U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson took his comments _ and an Instagram image of the judge's face next to rifle crosshairs _ as a personal threat.
Later, in a victory for Stone, Judge Jackson nixed the government's request to play a scene from the movie "The Godfather Part II" for jurors. Just this past weekend, Stone's supporters rallied in Hialeah, near Miami, to raise money for his legal defense fund.
Weeks earlier, a woman who helped lead a "Roger Stone Did Nothing Wrong!" fundraiser in Delray Beach pleaded guilty hours after the event to embezzling more than $46,000 in an unrelated case.
For President Donald Trump, the trial could either be a welcome diversion from the impeachment saga or an unhelpful reminder of how the Russians interfered in the 2016 election on the president's behalf.
Citing the still-in-effect gag order, Stone declined to comment Monday.
Stone is a self-described dirty trickster and a longtime friend and political adviser to Trump.
His trial centers on charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller III, alleging Stone obstructed a congressional inquiry and gave false testimony during the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
_McClatchy Washington Bureau
