Hours after a pre-dawn FBI raid on his Florida home, with armed agents arriving silently and surrounding his house, then one banging on his front door, Roger Stone, 66, was in court on Friday in handcuffs and shackles.
But minutes later, he was out on bail. The man who has been called the "dark prince" of American politics - credited with engineering not only Mr Al Gore's defeat in the notorious 2000 Florida recount, but also the rise to power of President Donald Trump - left the court spreading his arms and flashing victory signs, proclaiming to waiting journalists his loyalty to Mr Trump.
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