- US Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the officer who was the subject of President Donald Trump's ire in recent weeks, will not be investigated by the military, despite Trump's belief that the Army would "take a look at that."
- Vindman's associates also appeared confident that the military would not be investigating the impeachment-trial witness, who was subpoenaed before Congress.
- "We have every confidence that the Army and the Department of Defense will regard Lt. Col. Vindman's truthful testimony in response to a legal congressional subpoena as entirely appropriate," a source close to Vindman told the Daily Beast.
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US Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the officer who was the subject of President Donald Trump's ire in recent weeks, will not be investigated by the military, despite Trump's belief that the Army would "take a look at that."
Vindman, who worked as a National Security Council aide at the White House, was ousted on Friday, months after his congressional testimony in November. Vindman testified before the House Intelligence Committee about Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Vindman, who had listened in on the call, testified that Trump's suggestion for Ukraine to investigate his political rival had concerned him, prompting him to raise objections within his chain of command out of a "sense of duty."
The call was the center of a whistleblower complaint that led to Trump's impeachment. Following Vindman's testimony, Trump railed against the officer and alleged he had mischaracterized his "perfect" conversation. Vindman was eventually escorted off of the White House grounds and dismissed, in addition to his twin brother, Yevgeny, also a US Army lieutenant colonel, who was an ethics attorney on the NSC.
National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien on Tuesday asserted that the Vindmans were not retaliated against and said the agency was merely downsizing its staff.
Trump suggested the US military might take disciplinary action against Vindman.
"That's going to be up to the military — we'll have to see," Trump told reporters on Tuesday. He said he "certainly" imagined the military would "take a look at that."
"We sent him on his way to a much different location, and the military can handle him in any way they want," Trump added.
Despite Trump's thoughts on the matter, the Army is not currently investigating Vindman, according to what a Defense Department official told The Daily Beast.
Vindman's associates also appeared confident that the military would not be investigating the impeachment-trial witness, who was subpoenaed before Congress.
"We have every confidence that the Army and the Department of Defense will regard Lt. Col. Vindman's truthful testimony in response to a legal congressional subpoena as entirely appropriate," a source close to Vindman told The Daily Beast.
Retired Marine Corps Col. David Lapan, a former Pentagon spokesman and the vice president of communications at the Bipartisan Policy Center, previously told Insider that the Pentagon needed to assure the public that Vindman would not be retaliated against for testifying — by Trump or Vindman's fellow service members.
"I would recommend the Pentagon that given all the circumstances … to state very clearly that Vindman will be allowed to come back to the Army, that he will get his follow-on assignments and there won't be any retaliation against him," Lapan said.
"I think that is needed right now to send a strong message to the force that we're not going to allow retaliation for somebody who was subpoenaed," Lapan added.
The Department of the Army on Friday confirmed that the Vindmans were reassigned within the Army, but would not provide additional information "out of respect for their privacy."
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