Roger Stone supporters to rally outside his Florida home

Supporters of former Trump associate Roger Stone, who pleaded not guilty to seven counts in federal court in D.C. Tuesday, are gathering at a rally outside of his house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Tuesday evening. Stone has been charged with obstructing justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering.

According to a press release for the rally, it will be led by the former Mrs. Florida 2016, Karyn Turk. Turk is a brand ambassador for an international skincare company and a conservative commentator who has previously interviewed Stone as a host for “Eye on South Florida” digital programming. In a December, Turk interviewed him about his book, “Stone’s Rules.” He laid out a few of his political maxims in this interview, telling Turk that among his rules to live by are these favorites: “Lay low, play dumb, and keep moving, admit nothing, deny everything, launch counterattacks.”

Several groups are expected to attend, according to the release, including Bikers for Trump, Blacks for Trump, and Americans for Trump. These pro-Trump political groups focus on grassroots organizing in support of the president. The release also says that “national celebrities including some very visible professional athletes have confirmed their attendance,” although these national celebrities and athletes were not named.

“The goal of the rally is to raise awareness regarding the unfair treatment of Roger,” the release said, citing the widely publicized arrest at his home, which included a number of SWAT team vehicles and federal agents. Critics of the manner of the arrest suggested that it was excessive, given the crimes Stone was charged with.

Stone was indicted and arrested by the FBI in a pre-dawn raid as part of the special counsel’s investigation on Friday. The indictment alleges that Stone was in touch with top Trump campaign officials about leaked Democratic emails from WikiLeaks, called “Organization 1,” during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Mr. Stone has appeared in several interviews since he posted a $250,000 bond in a Florida court on Friday. He has denied all charges and claimed that his arrest was an example of law enforcement overreach.

“To storm my house with greater force than was used to take down bin Laden or El Chapo or Pablo Escobar, to terrorize my wife and my dogs, is unconscionable,” Stone told reporters Monday. (Osama bin Laden was killed by Navy Seals who raided his compound; the arrest of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán resulted in the deaths of five gunmen trying to protect him; and Pablo Escobar died in a shootout attempting to escape the authorities.)

“It is expected that family members will speak about the impact this has had on the entire Stone family,” the press release for the rally said. It’s not clear whether Stone will be at home for the rally.