WASHINGTON _ Roger Stone's lawyers have no legal entitlement to an un-redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference with the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible obstruction of that probe by Donald Trump, U.S. prosecutors said in a court filing Friday evening.
Stone's lawyers had demanded a complete copy of the report last month, before the redacted version was made public April 18, asserting the document contained information they said was "essential" to his defense. Stone, the last person indicted by Mueller, is charged with lying to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks, obstructing lawmakers' investigation and witness tampering. He's pleaded not guilty.
"Neither the rules governing discovery nor any other legal authority supports Stone's request for this document," prosecutors said in the filing in the case before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington. "Moreover, the government is already providing Stone with the evidence relevant to this case arising out of the special counsel's investigation."
U.S. lawyers also filed papers opposing Stone's bid for dismissal of the case against him. Although initiated by attorneys working for Mueller, the matter is now being prosecuted by the office of Washington U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu. The case is set for trial on Nov. 5.
The case is U.S. v. Stone, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).
