WASHINGTON, DC – The Latest on the Roger Stone trial (all times local):
9:15 p.m.
Recommended Videos
Steve Bannon says Donald Trump's campaign viewed Roger Stone as an "access point" to WikiLeaks and tried to use him to get advanced word about hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton.
Bannon, Trump's former campaign CEO, told a federal court Friday that Stone had boasted about his ties to WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange, alerting them to pending new batches of damaging emails.
Bannon said: "The campaign had no official access to WikiLeaks or to Julian Assange. But Roger would be considered if we needed an access point."
It was the first time that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign acknowledged in court that they had actively sought material from WikiLeaks.
Stone is on trial for lying to Congress and witness tampering.
__
2:25 p.m.
Steve Bannon is making his first appearance in the Roger Stone trial as a prosecution witness.
The former senior Trump campaign and administration official was called earlier than expected Friday on the third day of testimony.
Bannon was one of several officials connected to the Trump campaign who was in contact with Stone. Stone is being tried in federal court on charges of lying to Congress and witness tampering.
Bannon is expected to testify about a flurry of calls between Stone, Bannon, Paul Manafort and others in the Trump campaign orbit.
__
10:30 a.m.
A comedian and former talk show host is telling jurors in the Roger Stone trial that the political operative pressured him into backing up lies he told Congress.
Randy Credico says Stone pressed him to "go along" with a false account of the operative's contacts with WikiLeaks during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.
The testimony Friday is damaging to Stone as he faces a federal trial on charges of lying to Congress and witness tampering.
Credico has occasionally provoked laughter in court and warnings from the judge. He says Stone used references from the movie "Godfather" to intimidate him into backing up Stone's testimony to Congress.
Stone is a confidant of President Donald Trump who claimed he had inside information that WikiLeaks would release information damaging to Hillary Clinton.