President Donald Trump has expressed his disdain at Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a central witness in the impeachment charges against him as he’s been led out of the White House.
While Trump wouldn’t say whether reports of Vindman’s move were true, the president made clear his disdain for the damaging testimony Vindman offered House investigators.
“Well, I’m not happy with him,” the president told reporters as he left the White House. “You think I’m supposed to be happy with him? I’m not. They’ll make that decision.”
And less than an hour later, Trump was retweeting several posts calling for Vindman to be fired “ASAP.”
Escorting Lt. Col. Vindman from the White House today was Trump’s petty idea of revenge against the holder of a Purple Heart. I’d urge Vindman to see it as a badge of honor.
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) February 7, 2020
Trump’s comments followed several media reports that Vindman, a Ukraine specialist at the National Security Council, could be reassigned from his NSC detail to the Pentagon as soon as Friday. Trump punted the announcement of any move to the NSC, teasing that “you’ll be hearing soon” about their decision.
Vindman’s removal from his post would come amid three months of relentless attacks by Trumps allies in Congress, the White House and on Fox News, questioning the Iraq War veteran’s patriotism and honesty. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) launched a multi-day string of Twitter attacks on Vindman during the impeachment trial.
Lt Col Alexander Vindman a decorated veteran escorted from the White House today for testifying under subpoena to the House his lawyer says: LTC Alexander Vindman leaves the White House today. But we must not accept the departure of truth, duty, and loyalty that he represents.
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) February 7, 2020
Vindman is one of the few firsthand witnesses House investigators were able to secure testimony from before charging that Trump abused his office by withholding vital aid from Ukraine until it announced investigations into his political opponents. He testified to lawmakers that he flagged Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy to a top White House lawyer, and he testified publicly in November that he considered Trump’s call improper. His testimony elicited a mid-hearing attack from the official White House Twitter account and drew the ire of the president’s allies.
