President Trump confidant Roger Stone may be flouting a strict gag order imposed on him in late February by a federal judge.
On Sunday, Stone posted a number of stories to his Instagram account—including one suggesting he had been framed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
The potential violation occurred as he posted requests soliciting funds for his defense campaign and selling merchandise, including a “Roger Stone Did Nothing Wrong” t-shirt and a “Stone Cold Truth” sweatshirt.
Among this flurry, Stone posted an image of himself, below the words “Who Framed Roger Stone.” The image, which has been shared on social media before, is a reference to the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
New in Instagramland: Roger Stone, using Insta stories (which disappear after 24 hrs), suggests he’s being framed. pic.twitter.com/GK0tUsH4jq
— Shelby Holliday (@shelbyholliday) March 3, 2019
Stone faces seven charges in connection with Mueller’s inquiry into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia before the 2016 U.S. election. The charges include making false statements, witness tampering, and obstruction of an official proceeding.
In Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s ruling on Feb. 21, she banned Stone from speaking publicly about his case in any forum—including on social media. CNBC alleges that Stone’s Sunday post could have violated this order, which strictly bans Stone from commenting about the case or Mueller’s investigation “indirectly.”
According to CNBC, which first noticed the post, the “Who Framed Roger Stone” image was deleted from his account not long after the outlet’s reporter contacted the defendant’s lawyer to determine whether it was in violation of his gag order.
If Stone is found to be in violation of the order, he could be jailed without bail until his trial.
