Donald Trump has been compared to a “royal despot” by prominent Republicans over his punishment of two former administration officials.

A strongly-worded open letter criticised the treatment of Chris Krebs and Miles Taylor, who had both publicly criticised the US president.

Mr Krebs led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency during Mr Trump’s first term, and openly refuted his claims that the 2020 election was “stolen”.

Mr Taylor served as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security and wrote a New York Times opinion essay in 2018 accusing Mr Trump of rampant “amorality”.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump revoked the security clearance of both men and called for an investigation into their times in government.