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A group of Republican senators reportedly tried to stop President Trump from firing former Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, but the president ousted him anyway.

Before Trump relieved Sondland of his post on Friday, several GOP senators — including Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Martha McSally of Arizona, and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin — warned the White House against the move, according to the New York Times. They raised their concerns with acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, arguing that it would be a bad look for the president to fire the impeachment witness.

The senators also noted that Sondland was already set to leave his position following the conclusion of Trump’s Senate impeachment trial and suggested letting him determine when to exit himself in effort to avoid backlash. The ambassador was asked to resign regardless and reportedly refused, saying the administration would have to fire him in order for him to leave.

The president then recalled Sondland just hours after the White House ousted fellow impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who worked on European affairs at the National Security Council, along with his identical twin brother Yevgeny. Both Sondland and Vindman played instrumental roles in the House’s impeachment investigation last year by providing testimony.

The House impeached Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in December following the scandal related to his July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He was acquitted of both charges by the Senate this week.