Trump ousts White House staffer who testified against him in impeachment
The Trump administration on Friday removed Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman from his position as the White House’s top Ukraine expert after he provided damaging testimony about US President Donald Trump during the impeachment process, Vindman’s lawyer said.
Vindman was escorted out of the White House where he had worked on the National Security Council (NSC), lawyer David Pressman said in a statement, adding that the move was retribution for Vindman’s testimony.
“There is no question in the mind of any American why this man’s job is over, why this country now has one less soldier serving it at the White House. LTC Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth,” Pressman said.
Vindman testified to the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry in November that Trump made an improper demand of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July phone call that became the centrepiece of the probe of the Republican president.
Vindman told a Democratic-run committee “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing” in the phone call. Trump asked Zelenskiy to launch investigations into both Democratic rival Joe Biden and a widely debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.
During that appearance, Vindman downplayed concerns that he would suffer payback for speaking out. “I will be fine for telling the truth,” he said.
“This president believes the only loyalty that matters is loyalty to him personally,” Engel said in a written statement.
Trump emerged victorious from his trial this week with a vote in the Senate, controlled by fellow Republicans who rejected abuse of power and obstruction of justice charges.
Asked earlier on Friday about media reports that he might remove Vindman, Trump told reporters: “I’m not happy with him. You think I’m supposed to be happy with him?..They’re going to be making that decision.”
A source familiar with the situation told Reuters that Vindman - a Ukraine-born US citizen and decorated Iraq war combat veteran - would be reassigned to the Defense Department.
Vindman’s two-year stint at the White House was due to end in July.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday that the Pentagon protects all service members from retribution.
Trump, who became only the third US president to be impeached, has said he is still bitter as he turns his attention to seeking a second four-year term in the Nov 3 presidential election.
