Stone is charged with lying to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks and witness tampering.

Leah Millis / Reuters Roger Stone arrives at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC, on Jan. 29.

WASHINGTON – Roger Stone, through his lawyer, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller that he lied to Congress about his contacts with WikiLeaks and tried to convince an associate to lie as well.

Stone, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, is facing a seven-count indictment, with the most serious offense — witness tampering — carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He was arrested Jan. 25 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and released on a $250,000 bond after making his first court appearance there. Tuesday marked Stone’s formal arraignment in federal court in Washington, DC, where his case will proceed going forward. Prosecutors from the Special Counsel’s Office and the US Attorney’s Office in Washington are jointly handling the case. They did not ask for any change in Stone’s release conditions as the case proceeds, which means Stone will be released pending his trial. He was ordered not to contact any witnesses in the case, and will not be allowed to have a passport. He’ll be limited to traveling to Manhattan and a few other areas in New York, southern Florida, DC, and northern Virginia. Stone, wearing a navy shirt, dark blue tie, and light blue pocket square, spoke little during the arraignment. His lawyer Robert Buschel entered the plea of “not guilty” on his behalf. Prosecutor Michael Marando from the US Attorney’s Office in Washington told the judge that the government and Stone’s lawyers agreed to designate the case as “complex,” which means it won’t move as quickly to a trial as a regular criminal matter.

Roger Stone just left the courthouse, and to say it was a madhouse would be an understatement. Protesters and reporters swarmed the street around the black SUV picking him up (he didn't talk), a couple guys waved Russian flags, and there was music. It was a *scene* @ZoeTillman via Twitter / Via Twitter: @ZoeTillman

Stone did not speak with reporters when he left the courthouse. Outside, protesters and reporters swarmed the black SUV picking him up. Some demonstrators chanted “lock him up” and waved Russian flags as the Russian national anthem blared; others were there to support Stone, holding up signs that read “FREE STONE FIRE MUELLER” and “STOP MUELLER POLITICAL PERSECUTION.” Stone is charged with one count of obstructing Congress, five counts of making false statements to Congress, and one count of witness tampering. Speaking to reporters Friday after a dramatic exit from the Fort Lauderdale courthouse that featured Stone making the double-peace sign gesture à la former president Richard Nixon, Stone said he planned to plead not guilty.

Joe Skipper / Reuters Roger Stone leaves the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 25.

“I am falsely accused of making false statements during my testimony to the House Intelligence Committee. That is incorrect,” he said at the time. “Any error I made in my testimony would be both immaterial and without intent.” Since the indictment was unsealed, Stone and Trump have stressed that the charges against Stone don’t allege collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.

Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION! Border Coyotes, Drug Dealers and Human Traffickers are treated better. Who alerted CNN to be there? @realDonaldTrump via Twitter / Via Twitter: @realDonaldTrump