Roger Stone's D.C. Arraignment Was an Online Comments Section Brought to Life

WASHINGTON — Inside the Washington, D.C., federal courthouse Tuesday morning, the scene was somber and official.

Roger Stone, the onetime adviser to President Donald Trump and master of the dark arts of politics dating back to Watergate, sat at the defense’s table inside Courtroom 3. Stone had come to D.C. for his arraignment after a grand jury convened by Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted him last week on seven counts of making false statements, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. He wore one of his more demure bespoke suits for the occasion, and watched silently as his lawyer entered a not-guilty plea.

The hearing lasted all of 15 minutes. “Yes, your honor,” Stone replied when the judge asked him if he understood the conditions of his release. After the proceeding ended, he did little but smile at the scrum of journalists and cameramen peppering him with questions as he exited the courtroom. It was a rare sight: Roger Stone, subdued.

The same could not be said for the throngs of people outside the courthouse waiting for him to appear. There were Stone supporters and Stone haters, Mueller fans and Mueller detractors, right- and left-wing media personalities, members of the violent Proud Boys group, live-streamers galore and a man covering the event for InfoWars, the media company run by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, on whose show Stone is a frequent guest. One woman carried a sign that read “Roger Stone did nothing wrong!” with a photo of Stone flashing Richard Nixon’s double peace signs and a link to Stone’s legal defense fund.

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https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/roger-stone-dc-courthouse-786060/