Politics / Donald Trump Trump's Top Adviser Is Out But the circumstances around Roger Stone's exit are very he said, he said By Kate Seamons, Newser Staff Posted Aug 8, 2015 2:32 PM CDT Copied Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participates in the first Republican presidential debate at the Quicken Loans Arena Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) It's been a headline-generating Saturday for Donald Trump, and Megyn Kelly isn't the only reason why. The GOP candidate made what Politico refers to as "the surprising announcement" that his top adviser is no longer with the campaign. But the circumstances around Roger Stone's exit are murky. Trump told the Washington Post Stone was fired; Stone's friends tell Politico that Trump made that comment an hour or so after Stone emailed Trump his resignation. Business Insider reports it got confirmation from Stone that Stone was the one to end things. Those friends shared what they say is the resignation email with Politico. One line: "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." However the parting of ways went down, Politico sees it as the first indication that Trump's comments during and after the debate have "seriously damaged" his White House bid. (More Donald Trump stories.) Report an error