House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to news that President Trump relieved impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman of his White House duties by saying that she was “stunned” to learn such a “patriotic person” had been fired.
“What a patriotic person,” Pelosi said. “This goes too far.”
Pelosi on WH removing Vindman from NSC:
I’m stunned by it. I’ll talk to my colleagues. They have concerns about (President Trump’s) interventions with the military.Pelosi on Vindman:
What a patriotic person. This goes too far.— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 7, 2020
“I’m stunned by it. I’ll talk to my colleagues about this because I know they have some concern about some of the interventions that the president has with our military. That’s such a shame. What a patriotic person,” the California Democrat added.
Pelosi on Vindman’s expected departure from WH: “I’m stunned by it. I’ll talk to my colleagues about this because I know they have some concern about some of the interventions that the president has with our military. That’s such a shame. What a patriotic person,” per @jeremyherb
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 7, 2020
Pelosi’s office also released a statement reminding the public that President Trump’s House impeachment is “forever” and mourning the loss of Vindman’s White House influence as a “sad and shameless loss for America’s security.”
Vindman, a key figure in the House impeachment case against President Trump, was relieved of his White House duties, reassigned to the Army, and escorted out of the White House by security on Friday afternoon.
Vindman was on the controversial phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian officials, and he testified during the impeachment trial that he was “concerned” about the conversation. “I was concerned by the call,” he said. “I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine.”
“Today, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman was escorted out of the White House where he has dutifully served his country and his President,” Vindman’s lawyer said a statement. “He came into the public eye only when subpoenaed to testify before Congress, and he did what the law demanded.”
Other Democratic leaders slammed the decision to remove Vindman as well.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the move “appalling,” and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden demanded the crowd at Friday night’s debate to stand and applaud Vindman.
Hours before the news of Vindman’s removal broke, Trump expressed his displeasure over the situation to reporters.
“Well, I’m not happy with him,” Trump said. “Do you think I’m supposed to be happy with him? I’m not.”
The president did receive vocal support from prominent media and political figures.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham praised the decision and told her viewers that “getting rid of radicals” is the right move.
“Get rid of the radicals undermining from within and replace them with people who believe in your agenda, Mr. President,” Ingraham said on her show Friday night.
