Posted on 02/07/2020 6:02:02 PM PST by robowombat
President Trump on Friday ousted Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, making him the second official who testified in the House impeachment inquiry to be dismissed.
"I was advised today that the president intends to recall me effective immediately as United States Ambassador to the European Union,” Sondland said in a statement.
"I am proud of our accomplishments," Sondland added, thanking Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "Our work here has been the highlight of my career.”
Sondland's statement came just hours after Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was removed from his post with the National Security Council and escorted off the White House grounds.
Sondland provided damaging testimony against Trump in the House impeachment inquiry, saying during a public hearing that "everyone was in the loop" about the effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate the president's political rivals.
His dismissal marks an escalation in Trump's push to clear the administration of those who testified against him last year in the impeachment proceedings. That group now includes Sondland, who donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee.
Other witnesses, such as Jennifer Williams and Marie Yovanovitch, have been reassigned or left the administration entirely. Williams left her post in the vice president's office early at her request.
Sondland was viewed as a key witness for Democrats as they built their case that Trump withheld security aid and a White House meeting from Ukraine in an effort to pressure the government into investigating the Bidens.
“Was there a quid pro quo?” Sondland said in his opening statement at a November hearing. “With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”
But the White House sought to paint him as unreliable and lacking firsthand contact with the president. Trump distanced himself from his donor and ambassador, saying he hardly knew Sondland.
The ambassador's ouster is certain to be viewed as retaliation by Trump for his impeachment testimony.
Earlier Friday, Vindman was escorted off the White House grounds. Vindman, who listened in on Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, testified publicly that he thought the call was inappropriate and that he reported it to his superiors.
“There is no question in the mind of any American why this man’s job is over, why this country now has one less soldier serving it at the White House,” David Pressman, Vindman’s attorney, said in a statement. “LTC Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth. His honor, his commitment to right, frightened the powerful.”
Updated at 7:20 p.m.
Hang the POS.
Like Frank Pentangeli in Godfather 2?
These tainted Obama holdovers should have been swept out of their posts immediately after the president’s inauguration. He would have avoided all the grief of the past three years. Let this be a lesson to all future administrations.
Sorry, I didn’t see the movie.
People picketed his downtown Portland hotels way before anyone knew anything. Politicians (D) denounced him. Local TV stations carried the ball for the protestors. It was an orchestrated attack.
Two down. How many left to go?
He should troll the libs and say he is thinking of firing Nancy Pelosi. Ha! They would all swallow their tongues!
We hope.
He tried to thread the needle to keep both sides happy and ended up screwing himself in the process.
I forgot about antifa. But then antifa and Portland are pretty synonymous.
He should be charged with perjury. If all the corruption through the Ukraine Giuliani has found gets traction, misprision of felony.
And perhaps that job can be kept vacant awhile too. We have ambassadors to most all of the real countries thereabouts. That should suffice imho
i’ve heard that nigel farage happens to be between jobs at the moment...
He never contributed to Trump or the Inauguration. It is likely a high level black ops forgery that he ever so did and he was a liberal Democrat in Oregon in deep cover all these years all along positioned just to bring down our leader down. $1 million or no million. Probably never even had the private cell calls with POTUS he says he did and others testified as hearing.
Having watched Sondland’s ‘chatter’ during the hearing...he assumed an awful lot. He continually remarked that he didn’t know the facts. He appeared to be more of a ‘gossip-queen’ than anything else. I don’t think he was suited for this job...then I kinda wonder how he managed to do so well in the business world.
#3. In other words, Vindman was a weasel and weasels cannot be trusted.
Sondland is problematic since he contradicts himself all over the place. Glad to see that he is going.
NEXT!!
If I were Trump, I would pick a week and have US Marshals round up and arrest Her Thighness, Comey, Brennen, Cutter, Strock, Page, and the rest of the entire coup.
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