Roger Stone in court: Trump associate pleads not guilty before judge in Mueller investigation hearing
Donald Trump's former campaign adviser Roger Stone has appeared before a federal judge in Washington on charges that he lied to Congress and engaged in witness tampering.
A self-described dirty trickster, Mr Stone is the sixth Trump aide charged in Robert Mueller’s investigation.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges before leaving the Washington courthouse and jumping into a black SUV that drove him away.
Before and during the hearing, a crowd of supporters and critics surrounded te courthouse steps and doors.
Some in attendance included the far-right group the Proud Boys, who have supported Mr Stone and the president amid controversy in recent years.
Mr Stone was arrested by federal agents in his Florida home on Friday, and later in the day held a defiant press conference in which he promised to fight the charges against him.
During that press conference, Mr Stone vowed that he would never be compelled to lie about his interractions with Mr Trump.
Mr Stone is a longtime adviser and confidant of Mr Trumps, and is known for having made contact with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during the 2016 campaign. WikiLeaks was involved in the release of stolen emails from the campaign of HIllary Clinton.
Mr Stone will return to court on Friday.
Read along below for our updates on Mr Stone's day in court
Additional reporting by agencies
