(29 Jan 2019) Roger Stone, a longtime adviser and confidant of President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony charges in the Russia investigation after a publicity-filled few days spent slamming the probe as politically motivated.
The political operative and self-described dirty trickster faces charges that he lied to lawmakers, engaged in witness tampering and obstructed a congressional investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker, who was in the courtroom, said Stone was uncharacteristically quiet during the brief court appearance, rising to his feet to say, "Yes, Your Honor," as U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson asked if he would agree to the conditions of his release, including restricted travel.
The 66-year-old Stone made no public statements as he arrived and departed the courthouse amid dueling chants of "Lock Him Up" and "We Love Roger."
Tucker said Stone was "noticeably reserved" throughout the whole process Tuesday, which he called a "notable contrast to Friday's appearance," when Stone left a Fort Lauderdale courthouse and held an impromptu press conference.
Stone will be back in court on Friday for a status conference before the trial judge.
Stone, who was arrested last week at his Florida home, is the sixth Trump aide charged in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. The indictment does not accuse Stone of coordinating with Russia or with WikiLeaks on the release of hacked Democratic emails.
But it does allege that he misled lawmakers about his pursuit of those communications and interest in them. The anti-secrecy website published emails in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election that the U.S. says were stolen from Democrats by Russian operatives.
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