唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统上周决定解雇两名为政府工作、去年在众议院弹劾调查中作证的证人，除了尖锐的两党批评之外，这也激起了调查的呼声。
乌克兰国家安全委员会的高级专家亚历山大·温德曼中校和美国驻欧盟大使戈丹·桑德兰星期五被解职。温德曼和他的孪生兄弟(也为国家安全委员会工作，但没有作证)被护送出白宫，桑德兰德被从国外召回。
文德曼虽然被解除了白宫职位，但仍将为五角大楼工作。
此举招致了迅速的批评，民主党人将这一行为与前总统理查德·尼克松的行为相提并论，称之为“星期五晚上的大屠杀”，这是对尼克松“星期六晚上的大屠杀”的认可，当时他驱逐了几名因水门事件和随后的掩盖而调查他的官员。其他人认为这是“可耻的”和“不光彩的”
就在周五弹劾证人被赶下台之前，参议员苏珊·科林斯(缅因州共和党人)为自己的投票进行了辩护，并表示她将反对任何“报复”。在确定证据不符合罢免特朗普的高门槛后，她最终投票支持了对特朗普的无罪释放
“很明显，我不赞成对任何拿出证据的人进行任何形式的报复，”她在缅因州的一次活动中告诉当地记者。
2019年11月19日，在华盛顿特区国会山举行的唐纳德·特朗普总统弹劾听证会的第二周，国家安全委员会欧洲事务主任亚历山大·温德曼中校和他的兄弟列昂尼德·温德曼在众议院情报委员会作证后，离开了朗沃斯众议院办公楼
参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默(纽约州民主党人)周一要求所有联邦政府监管机构“调查针对任何人的任何和所有报复事件，这些人已经或将来会保护向国会或监察长披露总统不当行为。”
该请求是通过信国防部监察长以及所有74名联邦监察长。
舒默说:“这些袭击是针对那些举报不当行为的人的一种危险的、日益增长的报复模式的一部分，这些人发现自己成了总统的目标，并受到总统的愤怒和报复。”。
温德曼和桑德兰德去年被国会传讯，指控特朗普试图向乌克兰施压，要求其调查拜登一家，同时拒绝提供军事援助。就在两天前，参议院宣布总统的两项弹劾条款不成立。
“LTC Vindman因为说了实话而被要求离开。温德曼的律师大卫·普雷斯曼在一份声明中说:“他的荣誉，他对正义的承诺，吓坏了权贵。”。“他做了我们军队中任何一个成员每天都要做的事情:他服从命令，服从誓言，为国家服务，即使这样做充满了危险和个人危险。为此，世界上最有权力的人——由沉默、顺从和同谋支撑——决定实施报复。”
由终身共和党人组成的支持弹劾的团体“支持法治的共和党人”嘲笑特朗普的解雇，尤其是对温德曼的解雇。在一个将在电视上播出的新广告中《福克斯和朋友们》周三，大致30秒视频赞扬紫心勋章获得者，并说:“我们的军队应该得到更好的。我们的国家应该得到更好的。温德曼中校应该得到更好的。”
“命令下属不遵守正式授权的国会传票是对法治的侵犯。当他们遵守法律并向国会说出真相时，公开解雇他们更糟糕，”共和党法治执行董事莎拉·朗威尔在一份声明中说。“但最糟糕的是公开报复一名授勋的军事英雄，因为他坚守捍卫宪法的誓言。”
周末，特朗普通过推特为自己的决定辩护。他形容温德曼“非常不听话”，并且“错误地报告了我‘完美’通话的内容。”文德曼是几名倾听总统7月25日与乌克兰总统臭名昭著的对话的官员之一。
TRUMP'S 'RETALIATION' AGAINST IMPEACHMENT WITNESSES SPURS CALL TO INVESTIGATE AMID FIERCE CRITICISM
President Donald Trump's decision last week to fire two witnesses who worked for the administration and who testified in the House's impeachment inquiry last year has spurred calls for an investigation, in addition to sharp, bipartisan criticism.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert at the National Security Council (NSC), and Gordan Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, were fired from their posts Friday. Vindman, along with his twin brother, who also worked for the NSC but did not testify, were escorted from the White House and Sondland was recalled from his post abroad.
Vindman, although ousted from his position at the White House, will still be working for the Pentagon.
The move spawned swift criticism, with Democrats comparing the act to that of former President Richard Nixon by dubbing it the "Friday Night Massacre," a nod to Nixon's "Saturday Night Massacre" when he ousted several officials investigating him for the Watergate break-in and the subsequent cover-up. Others labeled it "shameful" and "disgraceful."
Just prior to the impeachment witnesses' ouster on Friday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who ultimately voted for Trump's acquittal after determining the evidence did not meet the high threshold for removal from office, defended her vote and said she would be opposed to any "retribution."
"I obviously am not in favor of any kind of retribution against anyone who came forward with evidence," she told local reporters at an event in Maine.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, National Security Council Director for European Affairs, and his brother Leonid Vindman exit Longworth House Office Building after testifying before the House Intelligence Committee during the second week of impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump on November 19, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday requested all federal government watchdogs to "investigate any and all instances of retaliation against anyone who has made, or in the future makes, protected disclosures of presidential misconduct to Congress or Inspectors General."
The request was sent in a letter to the inspector general of the Defense Department, as well as all 74 federal inspectors general.
"These attacks are part of a dangerous, growing pattern of retaliation against those who report wrongdoing only to find themselves targeted by the president and subject to his wrath and vindictiveness," Schumer said.
The ousting of Vindman and Sondland, both of whom gave damning testimony after they were subpoenaed last year by Congress about Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens while withholding military aid, came just two days after the president was acquitted of both impeachment articles by the Senate.
"LTC Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth. His honor, his commitment to right, frightened the powerful," David Pressman, Vindman's attorney, said in a statement. "He did what any member of our military is charged with doing every day: he followed orders, he obeyed his oath, and he served his country, even when doing so was fraught with danger and personal peril. And for that, the most powerful man in the world - buoyed by the silent, the pliable and the complicit - has decided to exact revenge."
Republicans for the Rule of Law, a pro-impeachment group comprised of life-long Republicans, is ridiculing Trump for the firings, specifically that of Vindman. In a new ad that will hit the airwaves on Fox & Friends on Wednesday, the roughly 30-second video praises the Purple Heart recipient and states: "Our military deserves better. Our country deserves better. Lt. Col. Vindman deserves better."
"Ordering subordinates not to comply with duly authorized congressional subpoenas is an offense to the rule of law. Publicly firing them when they comply with the law and tell the truth to Congress is even worse," Sarah Longwell, the executive director for Republicans for the Rule of Law, said in a statement. "But worst of all is taking public revenge against a decorated military hero for standing by his oath to defend the Constitution."
Over the weekend, Trump defended his decision by way of tweets. He characterized Vindman as "very insubordinate" and who "reported contents of my 'perfect' calls incorrectly." Vindman was one of several officials who listened in to the president's infamous July 25 conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart.
