Roger Stone moves to have judge recuse herself for praising 'integrity' of jurors – Washington Examiner, Washingtonexaminer.com

          

As former Trump aide Roger Stone seeks a new trial, his attorneys now argue the presiding judge in his case must recuse herself while raising concerns about her partiality.

          

Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, praised the jury during Stone’s sentencing on Thursday for multiple crimes, including lying to the House Intelligence Committee, obstruction of a congressional investigation, and witness tampering. In a filing late Friday, Stone’s team took issue with the way Jackson commended them, though she did not refer to any specific juror.

          

“The issue at hand arises from the Defendant’s pending Motion for a New Trial … and statements made by Judge Berman-Jackson during the Defendant’s Sentencing Hearing on February , . Stone’s argument for a new trial rests on newly discovered information indicating there there was juror misconduct during Mr. Stone’s trial, thus depriving him of his constitutional right to be tried by an impartial jury. Defendant’s Motion has not been ruled on, and in fact, the Defendant’s Reply to the Government’s Opposition is not yet due, nor has a hearing been set, “the motion for judicial disqualification from Stone’s lawyers said.

          

“The Court must still consider whether any juror interviews are appropriate in light of the allegations. However, given the statements made by Judge Berman-Jackson during the Sentencing Hearing, recusal … is warranted in order to protect the integrity and impartiality of the judicial system, “filing with the US District Court in Washington added.

          

Stone’s attorneys cite one particular statement by Jackson, when she said, “the jurors who served with integrity under difficult circumstances cared.”

          

In seeking a retrial, Stone’s lawyers alleged one of the members of the jury, Tomeka Hart, was not an impartial juror due to her past partisan activity. Hart, who was a former Democratic congressional candidate and a program officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, repeatedly shared anti-Trump posts on social media.

          

“I can’t keep quiet any longer,” Hart said in a Facebook post first reported by CNN. “I want to stand up for Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, Michael Marando, and Jonathan Kravis – the prosecutors on the Roger Stone trial who have all resigned from the case in response to the DOJ’s interference with their sentencing recommendation.”