VINDICTIVE

Trump Cans Impeachment Witnesses. His Allies Gloat.

Donald Trump Jr. thanked Democrats for “unearthing” those who “needed to be fired” in the impeachment trial against the president.

While Democratic lawmakers sounded the alarm over President Trump’s decision to oust two key impeachment witnesses just days after his acquittal, his allies celebrated the move and urged him to continue the purge. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), an outspoken defender of Trump, tweeted out a video montage of the president saying “You’re fired” from his days on The Apprentice. To make clear that his tweet was in response to the ouster of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council and Gordon Sondland from his post as the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gosar captioned the video with, “To Vindman & Sondland.”

Donald Trump Jr. also gloated about the dismissals of Sondland and Vindman, both of whom had provided testimony linking Trump to the politically motivated pressure campaign in Ukraine at the heart of impeachment proceedings. “Allow me a moment to thank—and this may be a bit of a surprise—Adam Schiff. Were it not for his crack investigation skills, @realDonaldTrump might have had a tougher time unearthing who all needed to be fired. Thanks, Adam!” Trump Jr. tweeted, referring to the lead House impeachment manager. A Senate Republican aide echoed that sentiment, telling The Daily Beast, “It’s about time.” The GOP aide insisted the moves had “nothing to do with loyalty” and that “the president is entitled to his own staffing selections.”

—Betsy Swan contributed reporting

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