Stone has formally apologized for the post, which showed the judge with what appeared to be crosshairs near her head

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Donald Trump’s longtime confidant Roger Stone was ordered to appear in court Thursday after a post he made on Instagram targeting the judge in his case.

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Federal judge Amy Berman Jackson issued the order Tuesday, saying Stone must appear to make the case “as to why the media contact order entered in this case and/or his conditions of release should not be modified or revoked in light of the posts on his Instagram account on or about February 18, 2019.”

Stone is due in court Thursday at 2.20pm.

Stone has formally apologized for the since-deleted Instagram post, which showed Jackson with what appeared to be crosshairs near her head. His attorneys filed papers with the court Monday saying “he hereby apologizes to the court for the improper photograph and comment posted on Instagram today”.

“Mr Stone recognizes the impropriety and had it removed,” the lawyers wrote. He has denied the post was intended as a threat.

Stone is charged with lying to Congress about his communications with Wikileaks during the 2016 election. He’s also charged with witness tampering and obstruction of an official proceeding.

WikiLeaks published emails from Democrats believed to have been hacked by Russia in an attempt to help Trump win the election.

The judge issued a limited gag order in the case, ordering the talkative Stone to stay quiet about the case in and around the courthouse, but she stopped short of imposing a broad ban on public comments.

She could now choose to impose a more sweeping gag order or tighten the conditions of Stone’s bail, which allows him to travel with some restrictions. Stone has pled not guilty to the charges and is free on $250,000 bond.