The Swamp was drained a little bit more on Friday. Shortly after another impeachment witness, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, was fired and promptly escorted from the White House alongside his brother, the president terminated Gordon D. Sondland, now former ambassador to the European Union.
During the House impeachment inquiry, Sondland testified that he "presumed" foreign aid to Ukraine was being held up on condition of Ukraine opening corruption investigations, but not into the Bidens, despite the president never telling the ambassador directly that the aid was conditioned upon any such investigations. So it wasn't exactly clear where this so-called presumption was coming from.
After Sondland's testimony, Rep. Mike Tuner (R-OH) grilled Gordon Sondland during his question-and-answer period over the ambassador's "presumption," which the Democrats had seized upon in an effort to implicate the president in a scheme to withhold foreign aid to Ukraine to force an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
"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 on Friday. "I am grateful to President Trump for having given me the opportunity to serve, to Secretary Pompeo for his consistent support, and to the exceptional and dedicated professionals at the U.S. Mission to the European Union. I am proud of our accomplishments. Our work here has been the highlight of my career."
The media will act like someone testifying before an impeachment inquiry means that person can never be fired. But that's like claiming a former vice president can't be investigated because he is now running for the Democratic presidential nomination.
