And it’s all become the worst kept secret in Washington: Trump won’t let Roger Stone go to prison.

“It’s not a question of if,” said a former senior administration official who remains in contact with Trump and his senior advisers. “It’s when.”

While Trump has been coy about his intent — “I haven’t given it any thought,” the president recently told reporters — he has spent the past two weeks loudly complaining about the treatment of his longtime confidant.

Trump aides in the White House and circling around his 2020 reelection campaign say the president is just being cautious and heeding advice to at least wait to move on Stone until after the court process plays out a little bit more. And among people close to Stone, there’s high confidence that the president will remember the 35-plus year relationship the two men share and ultimately spare him from going to prison.