Trump ally Roger Stone was excused from jury selections for his criminal trial Tuesday afternoon after he claimed to have food poisoning, ABC News and Politico report. Stone abruptly got up and fled the courtroom after the first potential juror took the witness stand. Moments later, a spectator in the back of the courtroom reportedly moaned loudly and collapsed—causing the proceedings to stop as the entire courtroom was cleared. The man was later seen walking out of the courtroom with medical personnel, and a crew had to clean up the areas where the man apparently fell ill. Shortly after proceedings started back up, Stone was seen resting his head in his hand, and Judge Amy Berman Jackson called a lunch break. He was then observed entering the courthouse’s heath unit while jury selections continued in his absence. In January, he pleaded not guilty to charges that stemmed from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference during the 2016 election.
