Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has fired high-profile political adviser Roger Stone, a campaign spokesperson said Saturday.
“Roger wanted to use the campaign for his own personal publicity,” the spokesman told FoxNews.com. “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."
To be sure, Stone has attracted his share of publicity as a behind-the-scenes guy, starting soon after he began working on the Committee to Re-elect the President, the successful 1972 fundraising effort for Richard Nixon’s second term.
And Stone's connection to Trump, particularly his rise from TV celebrity and New York real estate tycoon to the top of the 2016 Republican presidential field, has unsurprisingly become the subject of several recent news stories.
Stone’s departure was first reported early Saturday by The Washington Post. However, Stone said several hours later that he quit the campaign on Friday night, citing in part Trump’s “provocative” battles with the news media, politicians and others.
“Your initial and still underlying message -- is a solid conservative message,” Stone writes in a letter he has made public. “In fact, it catapulted you instantly into a commanding lead in the race. … 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. With this current direction of the candidacy, I no longer can remain involved in your campaign.”
Stone also worked on a Ronald Reagan presidential campaign.
He is considered skilled in opposition research and so-called political “dirty tricks.” Stone reportedly has a tattoo of Nixon on his back and has written or co-written at least two book including “The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ,” published in 2013.
He also reportedly was once a lobbyist for Trump.
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