The backlash of Donald Trump’s impeachment started rapidly when key witness in the case against the president, Alexander Vindman, was fired from his job.
He was “escorted out of the White House” after Mr Trump said hours earlier that he was “unhappy” with the European relations chief of the National Security Council and the top expert on Ukraine.
Yevgeny Vindman, who is the twin brother of the cherished Iraq Veteran was not involved in the hearings on impeachment but was also fired from his role at the National Security Council.
After receiving a notification from Congress, Vindman, a Ukrainian immigrant whose father brought his family from the former Soviet Union to the United States, testified in the House impeachment inquiry. He was appointed to the role in July 2018, and he was expected to stay for two years.
Vindman, who earned the Purple Heart after being injured in Iraq, had informed NSC officials that he planned to take an early departure from that assignment and resign by the end of the month, sources told the newspaper, and now that the Senate has acquitted the president, Trump wants to make an icon out of the Army officer.
On Friday afternoon, as he left the White House for a job event in Charlotte, the president suggested Mr Vindman’s anticipated departure was part of a NSC shake-up – but recognized his exasperation about the testimony of the Russia’s expert.
“Well, I’m not happy with him. Do you think I’m supposed to be happy with him? I’m not,” Mr Trump said.
”They’ll make that decision,” he added. “You’ll be hearing.”
The dismissal of Vindman from a NSC detail came hours after the president told reporters he was “not pleased” with the aide. David Pressman, one of Vindman’s attorneys, said his ouster was a clear political retaliation for his involvement in the impeachment investigation.
“There’s no question in any American’s mind why the job of this man is over, why this country now has a less soldier serving it at the White House,” said Pressman in a remark expressed with reporters.
Vindman was the first White House aide to testify in the inquiry on the 25 July telephone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Vindman expressed his concerns at the time of the call that President Trump had asked Zelensky to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden, particularly Hunter’s work for the Ukrainian gas company Burisma.
He further added, “This call worried me. I didn’t think it was right to ask for a foreign government to prosecute a U.S. citizen, and I was concerned about the consequences for the United States. Ukrainian Government support. I realized that if Ukraine were to investigate the Bidens and Burysma, it would probably be perceived as a partisan play that would probably lead to Ukraine losing the bipar”.
In addition to this the White House officials are planning to remove other officials as well who testified such as Jennifer Williams, who served for Mike Pence and testified in the House impeachment inquiry, left the office of the vice-president for a new Central Command position. Her departure was planned in March but her exit came two months ahead of that.
Taylor, the former top U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, left his post last month and took to the Washington Post pages to chide Pompeo for questioning whether the U.S. cared about Ukraine.
Moreover, Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine ousted by Trump in the midst of his allies ‘ smear campaign, detailed her impeachment experience earlier in the week in an op-ed, applauding those who would call out “wrongdoing” by powerful officials.
In fact, Trump fired a warning shot at Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. The senator from West Virginia comes from a state that the president carried during the 2016 election. Trump has been trying to woo Manchin to the Republican Party without any success. Manchin’s fellow Capito voted against him and he Tweeted as,
Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who voted to accuse the President of abuse of power, is also supposed to feel the vengeance of Trump.
During his exoneration at the White House on Thursday Trump told Sen. Mike Lee-the other Utah senator-to deliver a message to that state’s people: ‘ Tell them I am sorry about Mitt Romney. ‘
Later he slammed Mitt Romney and White House has already informed that president is in a vengeful mood.
Recommended video!
“Trump promises to cure cancer and AIDS at first 2020 campaign rally”