Fired Trump advisor Roger Stone.
Posted on 08/08/2015 2:35:08 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
A major political strategist has left Donald Trump’s 2016 GOP presidential candidate, a new report says — but it’s unclear who severed the relationship.
Roger Stone is no longer aiding the outspoken billionaire’s quest for the White House, according to CNN.
Reports conflicted on Saturday over whether Stone’s departure was a firing or a resigning, the news outlet added.
“Mr. Trump fired Roger Stone last night,” a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign told CNN on Saturday.
“We have a tremendously successful campaign and Roger wanted to use the campaign for his own personal publicity. He has had a number of articles about him recently and Mr. Trump wants to keep the focus of the campaign on how to make America great again.”
Stone contradicted that version of events, CNN said, by providing the media organization with his resignation letter Saturday.
“Unfortunately, the current controversies involving personalities and provocative media fights have reached such a high volume that it has distracted attention from your platform and overwhelmed your core message,” the document says. “With this current direction of the candidacy, I no longer can remain involved in your campaign.”
“I care about you as a friend and wish you well,” Stone also reportedly tells Trump in the letter. “Be assured I will continue to be vocal and active in the national debate to ensure our nation does not again turn to the failed and distrusted Bush/Clinton families.”
Stone elaborated further on his exodus from the Trump political machine in a post on his Twitter Saturday afternoon.
“Sorry @realDonaldTrump didn’t fire me – I fired Trump,” he tweeted. “Disagree with diversion to food fight with @megynkelly away core issue messages.”
Trump inspired national shock by criticizing Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly on Friday evening, after a verbal exchange the night before.
Kelly, a moderator in the GOP’s first televised presidential debate Thursday, interrogated Trump over his past remarks towards women.
“You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her – wherever,” Trump told CNN host Don Lemon on Friday night.
Critics have since pounced on Trump’s statement as crude and demeaning.
It also got the reality TV star disinvited from the RedState Gathering, an annual conservative forum taking place this weekend in Atlanta.
The New York business mogul’s presidential campaign responded by defending its figurehead in a statement published Saturday morning.
“Mr. Trump made Megyn Kelly look really bad – she was a mess with her anger and caught totally off guard,” Trump’s political team said in a statement.
“Mr. Trump said, ‘blood was coming out of her eyes and whatever,’ meaning her nose, and wanted to move on to more important topics,” it said. “Only a deviant would think anything else.”
The GOP’s crowded 2016 field has since dogpiled on Trump, sensing vulnerability in the frontrunner for their party’s nomination.
Multiple Republican White House hopefuls have denounced the real estate kingpin’s rhetoric as an embarrassing gaffe.
- Updated at 3:44 p.m.
Trump probably shouldn’t be tweeting in the early hours about how he was tweeted. There were plenty of people speaking out on the issue.
haha “about how he was tweeted” Should be “treated”
Trump’s comments were a clever combination of “she was out for blood” and “she has PMS.” It was nothing but appropriate given the lame, distorted questions she asked him.
Not news
Did Scott Walker ever get rid of Brad Dayspring?
The fired advisor is a long-time Bushie. Trump doesn’t need any moles in his campaign.
The unraveling of Trump’s campaign may, may have just begun.
If this is the case, he has only himself to blame.
Maybe there will be a ‘kiss & make up’ after some period of time. If Megyn wants to set another ratings record, she should meet with Donald on camera and talk things over, while either Aunt Greta V. Sean Hannity acts as chaperone, or referee.
True DAT.
Given all the ideological garbage that the left pushes, given all the garbage that pretty much the entire talk media and con-artist politicians spew all the time, their outrage over Trump’s out-for-blood-pms-megyn comment is what’s outrageous.
2015 is full of outrage over miniscule nothings and total calm if not full out endorsement over outrageous nastiness. Upside-down world.
The wheels are starting to come off this wagon.
Fired or quit, either way by Monday morning all the hoopla over the debate will be last week’s news and all but forgotten. There had to have been more than that as the reason.
I kinda like how he was tweeted. :)
Trump had this battle won. Lots and lots of people (myself included) were astounded and repulsed by the behavior of Kelly and Wallace.
A simple “unprofessional and uncalled for” comment would have more than sufficed. Instead he gave the media fodder to rake him over the coals. It doesn’t matter what he says he meant. The comment will stand as the media has published it.
Looks like his “advisor” feels the same way.
This is slowly turning into a reckoning for Trump. I thought he was a smart guy but I’m with his advisor, its over the top.
Don’t come at me that Megyn started it, I’m well aware of that. But Trump is incapable of any kind of restraint and he loses some of the good will the debate turned to him.
I’m not anti-Trump yet but if he can’t shut-up for one minute, I’ll get there.
I think Trump is being set up by the inside the beltway types. He fights and treats everyone the same. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. You attack him. He attacks you. He's more than a little too crude for my taste, but women who attack him shouldn't get upset when he returns the fire. If that's not equality what is?
He doesn’t have himself to blame. People are feigning outrage in order to manipulate. It is a common leftist emotional tactic. Clearly it is becoming a GOP tactic, too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.