Donald Trump has been accused a "fear of the truth" after sacking US government officials who testified against him during the recent impeachment hearings.
The US president took the action against Alexander Vindman and Gordon Sondland just two days after his acquittal in the Senate.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the decorated soldier and national security aide who played a central role in the Democrats’ impeachment case, was escorted out of the White House complex after being axed.
His lawyer branded this as being in retaliation for “telling the truth”.
“The truth has cost Lt Col Alexander Vindman his job, his career, and his privacy,” David Pressman said in a statement.
Mr Vindman’s twin brother, Yevgeny Vindman, was also asked to leave his job as a White House lawyer on Friday, according to an Army statement.
Both men were reassigned to other positions in the Army.
Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, was also axed following those dismissals.
“I was advised today that the President intends to recall me effective immediately as United States ambassador to the European Union,” Mr Sondland said in a statement.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Alexander Vindman’s sacking was “a clear and brazen act of retaliation that showcases the President’s fear of the truth"
She said in a statement: “The President’s vindictiveness is precisely what led Republican Senators to be accomplices to his cover-up.”
