Tehran 9 February _Several Republican senators urged Donald Trump not to fire Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union and a star impeachment witness, but the president moved forward an ousted the top diplomat anyway, according to report.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)_The senators were wary that removing Sondland, who testified before the House of Representatives as part of the impeachment inquiry against Trump, would unleash a wave of political backlash against the president, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
They cautioned the White House against the move, seen by critics as part of a campaign of revenge against impeachment witnesses, especially since Sondland was reportedly planning to leave his post after the Senate trial.
The GOP senators reportedly contacted White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and legislative affairs director Eric M. Ueland to express their dissent.
A source told CNN that the group included Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Martha McSally of Arizona.
Sondland reportedly rejected the request to resign and insisted the White House would have to fire him if they wanted him out.
Sondland’s removal came just hours after Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, another key impeachment witness, was dismissed and escorted out of the White House, where he worked on the National Security Council as an expert on Ukraine.
Your Comment