Man I need to stop making so many separate posts. Anyway...
Maybe he has friends in high places , the alleged "apostates" embedded at Brooklyn.
There was a rumour at one time he was somehow related to Albert Schroeder, but I am doubtful. I think a foreword to one of his editions indicated he sent his research to Brooklyn but has not had much response.
Cetainly some of his research seems to have ended up in the Watchtower. Rather odd situation.
I would be very interested to see any concrete examples of that, and a bit surprised actually. Watchtower literature has at times used material derived from independent apologists, notably Nelson Herle in the 1980s, but I am not aware that Stafford's material has been relied upon in the same way. They did take up his suggestion to drop the 1935 cut-off date for the anointed, but you could argue they were bound to do that anyway just because the time that has elapsed made the teaching untenable.
Contrast that with Solomon Landers' findings concerning the Coptic translation of John 1:1 which the Watchtower magazine seems to have reproduced uncritically.
I don't think Stafford was ever in favour with the Witness leadership. In many ways it was always clear he was a loose canon even before he started being critical of some Witness teachings.
From the very beginning he called his site and publishing company "Elihu Books" for crying out loud. That should have been a bit of a clue. It seems clear to me that from early on he thought he had wise counsel to deliver to the older men in Brooklyn.
