The Latest: Top Ukraine Expert Appears Before House, Says He Reported Concerns About Trump-Zelensky Call

by Countable's Trump Impeachment Coverage | 10.29.19

October 29th 2019:

• The 30-second recap: A whistleblower complaint, which led to a House impeachment inquiry, accuses White House officials of trying to conceal "politically sensitive" information about President Donald Trump's July 25th phone call with Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky.
• During the phone call, Trump asked Ukraine's leader to "do us a favor" and work with Attorney General William Barr and Trump's personal attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, to "look into" former Vice President Joe Biden and his family.
• 228 House members currently support an impeachment inquiry.

Vindman offers firsthand account of critical episodes in alleged quid pro quo

• The National Security Council's top Ukraine expert, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, is testifying before the House Tuesday. Vindman, an Iraq War veteran, is the first impeachment witness who listened, firsthand, to the July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky.
• “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,” Vindman said in his opening statement. 

“I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained.”

•  “This would all undermine U.S. national security,” Vindman added, referring to Trump’s comments in the call.
•  Vindman was awarded a Purple Heart for his service in Iraq. He was born in Ukraine and immigrated to the U.S. when he was 3.  
•  Trump took to Twitter early Tuesday to disparage Vindman, who’s served in the president’s National Security Council post since 2018.

Note: There is no evidence that Vindman is a “Never Trumper.”

• Some Republican politicians and pundits have questioned Vindman’s patriotism and dedication to the U.S.
• Former GOP Rep. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin said of Vindman:

“It seems very clear that [Vindman] is incredibly concerned about Ukrainian defense. I don’t know about his concern [for] American policy, but his main mission was to make sure the Ukraine got those weapons. I understand it: We all have an affinity to our homeland where we came from. Like me, I’m sure that Vindman has the same affinity.”

• Fox News host Laura Ingraham and two of her guests Monday night suggested that Vendman is guilty of “espionage” and could be a Ukrainian double agent.

“Here we have a U.S. national security official who is advising Ukraine, while working inside the White House, apparently against the president’s interest, and usually, they spoke in English,” Ingraham said. “Isn’t that kind of an interesting angle on this story?”

• “You know, some people might call that espionage,” added former Justice Department official John Yoo.
• House GOP conference chair Liz Cheney, however, said questioning Vindman’s allegiance is “shameful.”
• “We need to show that we are better than that as a nation,” she said.

“We're talking about decorated veterans who have served this nation, who’ve put their lives on the line, and it is shameful to question their patriotism, their love of this nation, and we should not be involved in that process.”

Where we are in impeachment proceedings?

What do you think?

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—Josh Herman