President Trump said the former National Security Council official and Purple Heart recipient who was fired after testifying against him during impeachment could face disciplinary action from military officials.
“That’s going to be up the military,” Trump said on Tuesday. “We’ll have to see. They are certainly, I imagine, going to take a look at that.”
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was escorted out of the White House last week following Trump’s acquittal on two charges by the Republican-controlled Senate, after which the president condemned those who investigated and testified against him.
Vindman listened in on the July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During the call, the transcript shows, Trump pressured the Ukrainian leader to “do us a favor” and investigate his political rival. A whistleblower complaint about the conversation helped to kick off impeachment proceedings.
During a House impeachment hearing, Vindman testified that he found the call to be concerning and that it could be considered an abuse of presidential power.
After being acquitted on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Trump reemphasized that the call was “perfect” and described Vindman as “insubordinate.”
Fake News @CNN & MSDNC keep talking about “Lt. Col.” Vindman as though I should think only how wonderful he was. Actually, I don’t know him, never spoke to him, or met him (I don’t believe!) but, he was very insubordinate, reported contents of my “perfect” calls incorrectly, &…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2020
National security adviser Robert O’Brien said on Tuesday that Vindman’s removal from the National Security Council was not political. Vindman’s twin brother, Yevgeny Vindman, also a lieutenant colonel in the Army, was also escorted out of the White House.
“The president is entitled to staffers that want to execute his policy, that he has confidence in, and I think every president’s entitled to that,” O’Brien said. “But there’s absolutely no retaliation with respect to the Vindmans as far as impeachment goes.”
