Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Saturday fired top adviser Roger Stone, a maverick political operative who makes Fort Lauderdale his home.
Trump's campaign said Stone, who has worked for Broward Cunty attorney-turned-convicted-fraudster Scott Rothstein and Sheriff Scott Israel, was exploiting Trump's candidacy for his own publicity purposes.
Campaign staffers said the attention on Stone was cutting into Trump's visibility, turning the focus of the campaign away from the candidate.
Stone, for his part, denied being fired, and said he had resigned instead. Stone said he sent Trump a letter of resignation claiming the outspoken billionaire's controversial comments had "overwhelmed" his "core message.