The Trump administration fired Gordon Sondland — who testified against the president in the House impeachment hearing — from his post as the ambassador to the European Union on Friday, hours after axing Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, another witness against him.
Sondland confirmed his firing in a statement to the New York Times Friday evening.
“I was advised today that the president intends to recall me effective immediately as United States Ambassador to the European Union,” Sondland told the newspaper.
The ambassador was a key witness in the House Democrat’s efforts to pass articles of impeachment against the president, paving the way for his trial in the Senate.
In his testimony, Sondland acknowledged there was a “quid pro quo” between Trump and the Ukrainian president in regard to releasing military aid in exchange for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden.
“I know that members of this Committee have frequently framed these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a quid pro quo?” Sondland said in a House impeachment hearing.
“As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes,” he added.
His firing came hours after Trump fired both Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and his twin brother Lt. Col. Yevgeny S. Vindman.
Vindman, who also testified in the impeachment hearings, said in a statement through his lawyer that he was “asked to leave for telling the truth.”