Thread by @ZoeTillman

Hello on this snow-meltingly warm day from the DC federal courthouse, where Roger Stone is due at 2:30pm for a hearing on his Instagram post about the judge, and whether she'll strengthen her gag order and/or change his release conditions as a result. See: buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanma…

T-minus two hours before he's due in court to answer for his Instagram activity, Roger Stone has taken to the platform to quote from the bible (HT @dsamuelsohn)

Roger Stone has entered the courthouse for his 2:30pm hearing. He's wearing a gray double-breasted suit, a blue and white striped shirt, a light blue tie, and a blue-hued patterned pocket square

Judge Amy Berman Jackson has entered the courtroom and we're off — she scheduled this hearing to address Roger Stone's now-deleted Instagram post about her, and whether she needs to revise her limited gag order and/or Stone's release conditions (I'm watching from the media room)

Jackson begins by entering the insta post on the record. She asks his lawyer Bruce Rogow if her media contact order should be modified. Rogow says no - they believe Stone should have another opportunity to comply. He offers to put Stone on the stand.

Rogow argues that the speech issue implicated by Stone's Insta post is separate from the Bail Reform Act, which concerns his pretrial release conditions. Rogow says Stone's conditions could be modified if there was a "real threat" to a person in the community.

Stone's lawyer says the judge's questions would be better addressed by Stone, so Stone is now getting up on the stand and sworn in. This means he'll be able to be cross-examined by the government

Stone says he abused the judge's order, and that he's sorry: "I am kicking myself over my own stupidity."

Stone says the post was the "outgrowth of the extreme stress of the situation." He says he didn't choose the image, but takes responsibility for posting it.

Stone: "This was an egregious, stupid error for which I apologize to the court."

Stone says he was grateful for the initial leeway the judge gave him in her original media contact order. Jackson asks if he's being paid for his commentary about his case. Stone says he is not. He says he's having trouble making money right now.

Stone says he relies on volunteers for certain things, he's not technologically proficient. Jackson asks if he knows how to search google for images and if his volunteers know how to do that. Stone says yes. Jackson asks, How hard is it find a photo that didn't have crosshairs?

Stone says he understood it to the logo of an organization, and an occult/celtic symbol. Jackson presses him to say what exactly he believed was wrong about what he did. Stone says he shouldn't have posted anything at all.

Jackson asks how Stone being sorry squares with him continuing to speak publicly about the Instagram post issue after it was taken down. Stone says he was referring to what he saw a distortion of what he posted. He said he didn't have "malicious intent"

Stone is now being cross-examined by prosecutor Jonathan Kravis from the US attorney's office in DC. Kravis asks who posted the Insta post. Stone says he did, he just didn't select the image. Stone says he doesn't remember who provided him with the photo

Jackson is incredulous that Stone can't remember who he got the photo from. Stone says he may have gotten it via text or email, or it was saved on his phone by someone else. Jackson asks how many volunteers he has. Stone says 5 or 6

Kravis asks if Stone may still have image on his phone. Stone says he deleted all of the images of Jackson — plural — from his phone so he didn't make the same mistake again. Jackson chimes in: "You had a choice?" Stone says yes, he chose the photo. "It was an error."

Kravis and Jackson ask Stone about an Infowars interview he did the same day where he used the phrase "Obama-appointed judge," and statements standing by the text of what he wrote in the Instagram post.

Stone struggles to recall the names of his "five or six" volunteers — people who he said would have had access to his phone. "It's a revolving situation." Kravis asks if Stone was with anyone when he posted the Insta post. Stone says he doesn't recall, he'd have to think about it

Kravis presses him about not being able to remember who he was with just a few days ago. Stone lists a few names of people he says he's worked with, but can't say for sure who he was with or who had access to his phone on the day in question

On redirect, Stone's lawyer asks Stone when he realized this was a "terrible mistake." Stone says it was after a reporter contacted him to ask why he'd posted a photo of the judge with crosshairs — Stone says he didn't see it that way

Stone's lawyer says Stone's action was "indefensible." Jackson: "I agree with you there."

Jackson asks the prosecutor what they want. Kravis says they want a "further restriction" on the "extrajudicial statements of the parties" — aka, they want a stronger gag order on what Stone can say out of court. Stone's lawyer says there should be no change.

Prosecutor says that Stone's testimony at today's hearing is "not credible" — he argues that any contrition by Stone now is belied by his actions, that he continued to give interviews and use similar language to the Insta post, and draw attention to those statements

Jackson says how is she supposed to believe that media attention will subside when Stone gets his name in the paper every day — she notes he kept talking about the issue after he apologized. What would stop him, she asks. Rogow asks for time to suggest a narrower order.

Jackson is now taking a ~15-minute break to process things, and then she'll come back and announce a decision.

One thing to note: There was no discussion of revoking Stone's pretrial release altogether. The government is only asking for a gag order for Stone going forward.

Another thing of note while we wait: Stone told the pretrial services office that he earns $47,000 per month

The hearing is back on, Jackson is on the bench

Jackson: "What concerns me is the fact that he chose to use his public platform and chose to express himself in a manner that can incite others that feel less constrained."

Jackson says Stone is someone who by his own account has made communication his life's work, and he understands the power of words and symbols. "There is nothing ambiguous about crosshairs."

Jackson: "Thank you, but the apology rings quite hollow."

Jackson: "The privilege, the liberty he was afforded was promptly abused. You were right about that Mr. Stone. If the conduct of the past weekend is what Mr. Stone would call judicious, it would be foolhardy for the court to take no action and learn what injudicious looks like"

NOW: The judge is prohibiting Roger Stone from making any public statements about his case, the investigation, or any participants in the investigation. "Period." He will be allowed to solicit funds for his legal defense, and say he's innocent of the charges, but that's it.

If Stone violates this gag order, the judge says she will revoke his bond and detain him pending trial. Stone is getting a second chance, Jackson says, but this is not baseball — there will be no third chance

The hearing is over. Story coming shortly.

STORY: Roger Stone has been barred from talking publicly about his case — or about Robert Mueller. He apologized for the Instagram post that got him in trouble, but the judge was unmoved: "Thank you, but the apology rings quite hollow" buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Stone will remain free pending trial, but the judge issued a clear warning that if he violates this new gag order, he will go to jail. He can still solicit money for his legal defense fund, and declare his innocence, but that's it, the judge said buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Stone was contrite on the stand today — he repeatedly used the words "stupid" and "egregious" to describe what he'd done. But the judge didn't buy it, and said Stone understood the power of words and symbols: "There is nothing ambiguous about crosshairs" buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Stone struggled to name volunteers working for him, but ultimately gave four names: Jacob Engels and Enrique Tarrio, whose ties to Stone are documented. The other two were Raymond Perez and Tyler Wright — spelling those based on how they sound, didn't immed. see info about them

On Engels: thedailybeast.com/meet-jacob-eng…

On Tarrio: washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/02…

If you know anything about Perez or Wright, hit me up.

NEW: Here's the new gag order for Roger Stone: "...the defendant is prohibited from making statements to the media or in public settings about the Special Counsel's investigation or this case or any of the participants in the investigation or the case" buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Note that the gag order doesn't just apply to Stone – he can't have any "surrogates, family members, spokespersons, representatives, or volunteers" make statements on his behalf buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…