Trump news – live: 'Asked to leave for telling the truth': Expert who testified in impeachment escorted from White House

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Donald Trump launched into another rally-like White House event, this time ostensibly supporting job opportunities for formerly incarcerated people and lower-income communities, during his remarks at an economic summit in Charlotte, North Carolina, hours after declaring that Nancy Pelosi broke the law when she ripped up a copy of his speech and ominously predicting the ousting of an impeachment witness.

The president hit out at Democrats from the White House lawn, calling them "crazy" and "evil" as he celebrated his administration's win in a federal appeals court case that dismissed a lawsuit by congressional Democrats trying to access his financial records to determine violations of the Constitution's emoluments clause.

Lt Col Alexander Vindman, a key impeachment witness as a member of the National Security Council, was escorted from the White House on Friday afternoon, apparent relation for his testimony.

Addressing rumours about staff departures, Mr Trump told reporters: "Well, I'm not happy with him. Do you think I'm supposed to be happy with him? I'm not."

On Thursday, the president launched into a blistering, score-settling diatribe against the House Democrats following his impeachment acquittal by the Senate, calling the likes of the House Speaker and Adam Schiff “vicious” and “corrupt”, ex-FBI director James Comey “a sleazebag” and the bureau’s top brass “scum” from the East Room of the White House.

The president labelled his trial “bulls***” and also singled out lone rebel Republican senator Mitt Romney for using “religion as a crutch” in voting for his conviction, although arguably his most menacing proclamation came when he adopted a Mafia-style euphemism to say: “We’re going to take care of things because we can never allow this to happen again.”

His speech was met with widespread alarm, with 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg branding the attack on Mr Romney “disgraceful” and ex-White House ethics chief Walter Shaub warning: “We’re in the heads-on-pikes phase of burgeoning authoritarianism.”

On Friday, following his razor-thin lead in the Iowa caucus, Mr Trump mocked Mr Buttigieg, saying "whoever the hell that is" while attacking Democrats for the drawn-out results.

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