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Sunday 16 February 2020

Roger Stone Seeking New Trial After Learning Juror Hated Trump, Previously Ran For Office As Democrat: Report

Roger Stone’s attorneys have requested a new trial following revelations that the jury foreperson was avidly anti-Trump and had previously run for office as a Democrat.
The Daily Caller’s Chuck Ross reported Friday evening that a “source familiar with the matter” said Stone’s defense attorneys requested the new trial in a secret court filing.
Last week, prosecutors recommended Stone face up to nine years in prison for multiple non-violent crimes, The Daily Wire reported.
“Roger Stone obstructed Congress’ investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, lied under oath, and tampered with a witness. And when his crimes were revealed by the indictment in this case, he displayed contempt for this Court and the rule of law. For that, he should be punished in accord with the advisory Guidelines,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo on Monday.
Nine years was seen as a hefty price for his crimes, especially since multiple people associated with anti-Trump sentiments have been let go even after they lied to the feds and the victim of the witness tampering wrote a letter on Stone’s behalf saying he never felt threatened. Within hours of the announcement, the DOJ pushed back on the sentencing recommendation, saying it had not been cleared with the Department and would be adjusted. Following the statement, all four prosecutors working on the Stone case resigned.
Two days later, the foreperson of Stone’s jury revealed herself on Facebook, leading to the revelation that she harbored extreme anti-Trump sentiments and previously had run unsuccessfully for Congress as a Democrat. The Daily Wire reported that Tomeka Hart wrote on Facebook:
As foreperson, I made sure we went through every element, of every charge, matching the evidence presented in the case that led us to return a conviction of guilty on all 7 counts … I have kept my silence for months. Initially, it was for my safety. Then, I decided to remain silent out of fear of politicizing the matter … But I can’t keep quiet any longer. I want to stand up for Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, Michael Marando, and Jonathan Kravis – the prosecutors on the Roger Stone trial … It pains me to see the DOJ now interfere with the hard work of the prosecutors. They acted with the utmost intelligence, integrity, and respect for our system of justice. For that, I wanted to speak up for them and ask you to join me in thanking them for their service.
After she revealed herself, people looked into her background and found that she had previously retweeted a post mocking Stone’s arrest and suggested racism was why conservatives didn’t like the fact that his home was raided at dawn and televised by CNN. Hart made it clear she was excited about Stone’s conviction with heart emojis on the day he was found guilty. Hart also had a history of posts that were critical of President Donald Trump, including booing in front of his hotel.
Fox News reported that “U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson had denied a defense request to strike a potential juror who was Obama-era press official with admitted anti-Trump views — and whose husband worked at the same Justice Department division that handled the probe leading to Stone’s arrest. And, another Stone juror, Seth Cousins, donated to former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke and other progressive causes, federal election records reviewed by Fox News show.”

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