Roger Stone, Free Speech and the Presumption of Innocence

Presumption of Innocence - "One of the most sacred principles
in the American criminal justice system, holding that
a defendant is innocent until proven guilty. In other words,
the prosecution must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, each
essential element of the crime charged."
Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute

Roger Stone is facing a seven-count federal criminal indictment in a trial slated to begin on Nov 5, (Mal Contends, Mal Contends).

Stone's liberty for the rest of his life is at stake as he defends himself against charges he claims are politically motivated and dishonestly pursued by the United States Department of Justice.

It may be Stone's sentiment is colored in part by the pre-dawn raid of his home by dozens of heavily armed federal agents in January. I think I would feel the same, were I in Stone's place.

Stone was indicted on Jan 24, 2019 by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who, in retrospect, is looking more like a malignant clown, as against past fawning portrayals.

Yet, the trial and proceedings are held in virtual secrecy, a black hole from which Stone may not emit information critical of the DoJ, United States District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, or the judicial processes that ban Stone from writing or publicly communicating virtually anything in his defense.

On Feb 15, 2019, Jackson imposed a gag order on Stone, later expanded to prevent Stone from even publishing an update to his book, The Myth of Russian Collusion: The Inside Story of How Donald Trump REALLY Won.

The federal charges for which Stone is on trial pertain to alleged witness tampering, obstruction and lying to Congress.

The Nov 5 trial is the Guy Fawkes holiday.

But Roger Stone better not publicly wish anyone a Happy Guy Fawkes Day, lest the DoJ works to toss Stone in a federal holding facility for what they would claim is a terrorist threat.