"You're fired."
The first signs of the president's retaliation against those who testified against him in the impeachment proceedings came as he told Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman his services were "no longer needed" as a White House advisor on Ukraine.
He was immediately "escorted from the building" as Col. Vindman's lawyer phrased it. TV cameras showed him being searched by White House guards as he left.
It could not have come as a surprise to the career military officer, since he acknowledged during his Congressional testimony that he was prepared for retaliation for "doing the right thing," as he said at the end of his statement to a House investigatory panel.
Nevertheless, the reaction to the firing cascaded through the internet and on TV programs with words like "vengeance" and "vindictive."
It's not likely, however, that the colonel will be discharged from the Army. But whether he returns to duty and a significant position remains to be seen.
His twin brother was also removed from his White House job at the same time.
For now, White House watchers anticipate there will be more personnel fired from their jobs for their roles, if any, in cooperating with the impeachment probe.
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