Jury selection in the trial of Roger Stone, the longtime confidant and adviser to President Donald Trump, got off to a bizarre start on Tuesday as Stone left the proceedings due to what he said was food poisoning shortly after an observer was taken out of the courtroom on a stretcher after appearing to have a seizure.

The selection of the jury continued without Stone present, but because of the earlier delay stemming from the separate medical emergency, it is unlikely jury selection will be completed Tuesday. More than 80 prospective jurors arrived at federal district court in Washington, D.C., to potentially take part in the trial.

Stone, 67, is accused of lying to Congress and pressuring another person to do the same. Stone's case stems from former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Stone, a close friend of Trump's for more than three decades who briefly served as an adviser to his 2016 presidential campaign, has claimed innocence. He was repeatedly admonished by Judge Amy Berman Jackson this year to stop making public comments about his case that could influence a prospective jury, and was barred from using social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

The political operative, who traces his career back to the Nixon administration, was arrested in January and charged with misleading the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 about his efforts involving WikiLeaks and the release of hacked emails from Democrats. Stone was charged with giving false statements, obstruction and witness tampering and could face prison time if convicted.