Roger Stone reportedly saves top Trump official from getting axed: 'Fortunately, I acted'
According to a report from Marc Caputo of Axios, DNI chief Tulsi Gabbard was slated to be fired along with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, but a long-time associate of both the embattled Gabbard and Trump interceded on her behalf.
On Friday, Caputo reported that political gadfly Roger Stone spoke with the president and convinced him that ousting Gabbard, an anti-war MAGA favorite, would create more problems than it would resolve.
Trump's fury with Gabbard centered on perceived disloyalty because she had retained controversial counterterrorism director Joe Kent as an advisor, a decision that backfired spectacularly when Kent quit with a bombshell resignation message that undercut Trump's entire rationale for the Iran war.
According to the Axios report, Gabbard was summoned to the Oval Office by Trump, who was already soliciting advice from outside advisors about whether to keep her — a clear sign her job was in jeopardy.
"Roger sealed the deal. He saved Tulsi," one insider told Axios, a characterization Stone himself confirmed on X: "Fortunately, I acted in time."
Stone told the president that "Gabbard was loyal, gave congressional testimony in a professional manner and never disputed the president, and would not be a risk of quitting in spectacular fashion like Kent."
But Stone's most compelling argument was political calculation. "Firing Gabbard would needlessly create a damaging news cycle for Trump — and make her into a martyr of sorts for those in the president's base agitated by the war," he advised before adding, "If she were fired and given that aura of credibility among MAGA dissenters, Gabbard could become a potent GOP presidential candidate in a little over a year. That might hurt Trump's preferred successor, Vice President Vance, in the early 2028 primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina."
As Caputo put it, Trump was convinced that he would be hurting his own agenda with a MAGA faction that is already furious about the overseas military interventions and which have created a schism within the America First movement.
