‘This act is criminal’: legal experts break down how Trump broke the law by firing the Vindman brothers

On Friday, the White House escorted Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the premises after he testified in the inquiry that resulted in the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

The administration also escorted out his twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, who did not testify at the inquiry.

Legal experts believe the actions could be a violation of federal law.

"It seems trivial to mention it at this point, but retaliation against a witness is a federal crime," explained former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, who is an MSNBC legal analyst.

"I worked for a DOJ that prosecuted people who retaliated against witnesses," she noted.

Former Southern District of New York (SDNY) federal prosecutor and CNN analyst Jennifer Rodgers agreed it is "witness retaliation."

Prominent Republican attorney George Conway also offered his thoughts.

"What normally happens when a public official retaliates against a witness who testified about the public official’s criminal conduct is that the public official goes to prison," Conway posted on the president's favorite social networking platform.

MSNBC legal analyst former SDNY prosecutor Mimi Rocah said, "we truly live in a totalitarian regime now."

"This isn’t the first use of government retaliation for perceived political 'enemies' but now he can proudly display his power," Rocah explained.

CNN analyst and former prosecutor Elie Honig said it was "witness retaliation" under 18 USC 1513.

"This act is criminal, vindictive, and petty - and nobody in Trump's orbit will do a damn thing about it," Honig predicted.