It turns out, President Donald Trump’s firing of three administration and White House officials in retribution for exposing his crimes is a ‘criminal’ offense, according to legal experts.
On Friday afternoon, Trump had Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman escorted out of the White House. Vindman’s twin brother, who also works on the NSC, was summarily fired and escorted out as well. If that weren’t enough Trump then turned around and had his Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, fired as well.
He blames them for his impeachment in a campaign of retribution that some experts are calling a criminal act.
Both Vindman and Sondland had testified before Congress, proving the whistleblower’s claims that the president engaged in disturbing behavior by extorting Ukraine. The General Accounting Office substantiated that claim, stating that Trump’s withholding of hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid was illegal.
Calling it a “Friday Night Massacre,” professor of international relations and visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University, journalist, and CEO of The Rothkopf Group, David Rothkopf also says Trump’s actions today are criminal.
Friday night massacre. Don't lose sight of the fact that this wave of retribution is a crime. https://t.co/u8DhWRUCJb
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) February 7, 2020
CNN Legal Analyst and former federal and state prosecutor Elie Honig also says Trump’s actions today are “criminal.”
I'm sounding this bell now. It is disgraceful and criminal to demote / fire witnesses – as we are seeing with Vindman, his brother, Sondland.
But this could get even worse – including bogus criminal charges against perceived Trump enemies in FBI and elsewhere. Watch for this.
— Elie Honig (@eliehonig) February 8, 2020
MSNBC Political Analyst and Senior Director of Progressive Programming for SiriusXM Radio, Zerlina Maxwell suggested the same label:
Friday night massacre? https://t.co/0mCHObkCuv
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) February 7, 2020
So did CNN’s Keith Boykin:
The Friday Night Massacre continues.
First Vindman. Now Sondland. Who's next? https://t.co/9q4ZonG1lV
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) February 7, 2020
And the outrage is still going:
Thanks to @senatorcollins, @senatemajldr, and friends for this Friday Night Massacre. https://t.co/R5O7xR3EMS
— Ezra Levin (@ezralevin) February 7, 2020
