President Trump was wrong to reassign Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman away from the White House, according to a public letter signed by more than 1,100 veterans.
Veterans from five branches of the U.S. military defended Vindman against “sustained attacks” from Trump after the former National Security Council employee testified during the impeachment hearings. The group of veterans, who were organized by the anti-Trump group National Security Action, said they felt obliged to speak out because Vindman, who is still on active duty, cannot.
“The President’s actions and insults towards LTC Vindman are not only wrong, they carry dangerous implications. The dismissal of LTC Vindman and his brother, also an Army Lieutenant Colonel, from the National Security Council staff appears to be motivated by nothing more than political retribution and deprives the White House of expertise necessary to defend our collective national security,” the group wrote.
“The manner of these dismissals suggests that the Commander-in-Chief has prioritized a personal vendetta over our national security,” the veterans added.
The full veterans’ statement condemning Trump’s treatment of Vindman is available here: https://t.co/hhdiPIK00K pic.twitter.com/9BQcqbI8ID
— National Security Action (@natsecaction) February 18, 2020
The group condemned Trump for his decision to restore the rank of Eddie Gallagher, a Navy SEAL who had been accused of several war crimes and was found guilty of taking a photo with the corpse of an Islamic State fighter, while criticizing Vindman, who raised a flag with his boss about the president’s conduct during his call with Ukraine’s president last year.
“President Trump believes that he can assail LTC Vindman with impunity, knowing that the latter is, by law, barred from speaking out. The President should know, however, that, despite taking aim at one Army officer, he has targeted anyone who currently wears — or has worn — the uniform,” the group wrote. “Our service members and veterans deserve the confidence of knowing that our elected leaders will come to their defense, just as they remain vigilant for ours.”
The veterans concluded their letter by stating that they would stand beside the Vindmans “even when their Commander-in-Chief does not.”
The letter was signed by more than 1,100 veterans as of Wednesday, including significant figures such as former U.S. Army Europe Commander Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, former Under Secretary of Defense Frank Kendall, and former Connecticut Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Shepard Stone.
Trump had Vindman escorted out of the White House on Feb. 7 and reassigned to a post within the Pentagon. The president argued that Vindman was insubordinate and had “problems with judgment.”
