'Apology rings hollow': judge rebukes Roger Stone and slaps stricter gag order

His swagger gone and his humiliation complete, political operative Roger Stone took the witness stand on Thursday to deliver an abject apology for attacking the judge in his case on social media only to be told it “rings quite hollow” and warned he could have incited violence by his supporters.

The longtime confidant of Donald Trump was spared prison for posting an Instagram picture lambasting Judge Amy Berman Jackson but he was slapped with an expanded gagging order that prevents him speaking publicly about his ongoing criminal case.

The courtroom rebuke was a humbling moment for the self-proclaimed dirty trickster, notorious for his love of cigars, shades and tailor-made suits, and whose public appearances usually consist of bravado and Richard Nixon-style victory salutes.

On Instagram he had posted a picture of Jackson next to an image that appeared to show the crosshairs of a gun, with a caption that described her as an “Obama-appointed judge who dismissed the Benghazi charges against Hillary Clinton”.

Stone, 66, was found to have abused a previous gag order imposed following charges against him in the justice department’s investigation into Russian election interference.

Wearing a grey suit with handkerchief in the top left pocket and a blue tie, Stone walked steadily to the witness stand in the packed courtroom at the United States district court for the District of Columbia in Washington.

“I believe I abused the order, for which I am heartfully sorry,” he said. “I am kicking myself for my own stupidity, but not more than my wife is kicking me.”

Stone suggested the rash act was “an outgrowth” of extreme stress, saying he was struggling to pay rent and, while he was seasoned in “political combat”, this was the first time in his life he had faced criminal charges. “I now have television commentators talking about the likelihood I will be raped in prison,” he said, in an apparent play for sympathy that fell on deaf ears.

Unmoved, Judge Jackson demanded: “How hard was it to come up with a photo that didn’t have the crosshairs in the corner?”

Stone claimed the image had been sent to him by one of his volunteers and he posted it on Instagram without thinking. “I didn’t even notice it until it was brought to my attention by a reporter.”

He did not believe the symbol shows crosshairs, he insisted. “It’s a Celtic occult symbol,” he said. Pressed for details, he said: “I’m not into the occult.”

Despite his dramatic fall, Stone remained a forceful presence, breathing heavily into the microphone and sometimes speaking over the judge to get his point across. “Let me finish my question!” she snapped at one point.

Jackson grilled him over a series of media interviews in which he appeared to defend the post and criticize her and the special counsel, Robert Mueller. He sought to explain: “I felt the media was falsely saying that I was posing a danger, which was not my intention. This was not a crosshairs, in my opinion, and I did not wish to be blamed for something that was not my intention.”

Government prosecutor Jonathan Kravis pressed Stone on the names of his volunteers and which of them had sent the image to him. The defendant could not come up with a satisfactory answer, saying he could not remember their identities.

After Stone had returned to a seat with his legal team, Jackson delivered a withering decision. “Mr Stone could not even keep his story straight on the stand,” she said.

His Instagram post had a “sinister message” that could incite supporters to turn violent, she continued, observing that the defendant is an expert in communications. “Roger Stone fully understands the power of words and the power of symbols and there’s nothing ambiguous about crosshairs.”

While he had taken the post down, she added, “In the media there’s no such thing as a take back.”

Jackson summed up: “Thank you, but the apology rings quite hollow … So no, Mr Stone, I’m not giving you another chance.”

She imposed a full gagging order that prevents Stone making any statements about the case, including press releases, press conferences and social media posts, although he can still solicit donations to his personal defence fund. Any violation, she warned, could result in his bond being revoked and detention.

Stone has pleaded not guilty to lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering related to discussions he had during the 2016 election about WikiLeaks. Since his arrest in January, he has been free on a $250,000 bond with court permission to travel to certain American cities.

With Thursday’s decision, he is denied the limelight he has built a career craving.