The White House Attacked Lt. Col. Vindman While He Was Testifying
Credit to Author: Morgan Baskin| Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2019 19:40:01 +0000
WASHINGTON — It wasn’t just the GOP that tried to undermine the credibility of Lt. Col. Alex Vindman on the stand Tuesday — it was the White House itself.
The White House’s official Twitter account slammed Vindman — who remains a White House staffer, by the way — as having had his judgement questioned by his former boss, Tim Morrison, the White House’s former top advisor on Russia and Europe.
“Tim Morrison, Alexander Vindman's former boss, testified in his deposition that he had concerns about Vindman's judgment,” the account tweeted, an extraordinary statement directed at a sitting U.S. official by his employer.
Here's where it gets really awkward: Morrison is set to take his turn in front of the House Intelligence Committee later this afternoon where he'll no doubt be asked to elaborate.
The tweet came in concert with questioning from members of the House GOP, who tried to paint him as a dual agent with little loyalty to the U.S., the White House’s official Twitter account jumped into the fray.
Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient who serves as the Director for European Affairs for the U.S. National Security Council, still works for the government.
Over the course of the public impeachment hearings, Democrats have accused President Trump of witness intimidation for his attacks on the government officials testifying under subpoena in front of the House as part of its impeachment inquiry into Trump.
In his opening statement on Tuesday, Vindman assured his father, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine when Vindman was a toddler, that he wouldn’t face retribution for testifying.
"Do not worry,” Vindman said. “I will be fine for telling the truth."
Cover: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, National Security Council Director for European Affairs takes a break as he testifies during a hearing before the House Intelligence Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill November 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin – Pool/Getty Images)
This article originally appeared on VICE US.