Payback: Trump ousts officials who testified on impeachment

Exacting swift punishment against those who crossed him, an emboldened President Donald Trump ousted two government officials who had delivered damaging testimony against him during his impeachment hearings. The president took retribution just two days after his acquittal by the Senate.

First came news on Feb. 7 that Trump had ousted Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the decorated soldier and national security aide who played a central role in the Democrats' impeachment case. Vindman's lawyer said his client was escorted out of the White House complex on Feb. 7, told to leave in retaliation for "telling the truth."

"The truth has cost Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman his job, his career, and his privacy," attorney David Pressman said in a statement. Vindman's twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, also was asked to leave his job as a White House lawyer on Feb. 7, the Army said in a statement. Both men were reassigned to the Army.

Next came word that Gordon Sondland, Trump's ambassador to the European Union, also was out.

"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.

The White House had not been coy about whether Trump would retaliate against those he viewed as foes in the impeachment drama. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said on Feb. 6 that Trump was glad it was over and "maybe people should pay for that."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that Vindman's ouster was "a clear and brazen act of retaliation that showcases the President's fear of the truth. The President's vindictiveness is precisely what led Republican Senators to be accomplices to his cover-up."

Rep. Jackie Speier, D...