President Trump appeared ready to fire Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard last week until Roger Stone stepped in, according to a report and the longtime political operative.
Trump was upset with Gabbard’s performance during a March 18 congressional hearing, where she declined to say whether Iran posed an imminent nuclear threat, and began asking cabinet members and advisers about whether it was time to replace the top intelligence official.
Stone reportedly gave Trump four reasons why he shouldn’t fire Gabbard. Getty ImagesStone, who’s been acquainted with Trump since 1979, received a call from the president and staunchly defended Gabbard – laying out several reasons why Trump needed to keep her on the job, Axios reported on Thursday.
“Fortunately, I acted in time,” Stone wrote on X, in a post where he also accused right-wing firebrand Laura Loomer leading the charge to get Trump to fire Gabbard.
Stone argued that Gabbard was loyal and professional in her congressional testimony and would not resign like her former staffer and Iran war critic Joe Kent did, according to Axios.
He also told Trump that firing Gabbard would create a damaging news cycle and turn the director of national intelligence into a martyr for his anti-interventionist supporters.
Firing Gabbard could also make her a formidable 2028 GOP presidential candidate, potentially hurting the chances of Trump’s “preferred successor, Vice President Vance” in early primary states, Stone argued, according to Axios.
Stone, a longtime political operative, first met Trump in 1979. AFP via Getty Images
Trump reportedly polled cabinet officials and advisers about whether he should fire Gabbard. REUTERSStone and Gabbard’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios that Trump “believes Tulsi Gabbard is doing an excellent job on behalf of the administration.”
“She is a key member of his national security team,” Leavitt added.
