In The Room When It Happened
“I was concerned by the call. 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.” Alexander Vindman, an Army officer at the National Security Council, was in on Trump’s infamous quid pro quo call with the Ukrainian president. His testimony confirms, once again, what we already know. AP: Army officer says he raised concerns about Trump and Ukraine.
+ “I have dedicated my entire professional life to the United States of America. For more than two decades, it has been my honor to serve as an officer in the United States Army. As an infantry officer, I served multiple overseas tours, including South Korea and Germany, and a deployment to Iraq for combat operations. In Iraq, I was wounded in an IED attack and awarded a Purple Heart.” Read Alexander Vindman’s Opening Statement.
+ “After Bill Taylor testified last week to multiple corrupt quid pro quos between the Trump team and Ukraine, President Trump attacked him as a ‘Never Trumper.’ He did so despite the fact that Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, was selected for his job just a few months ago by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Good luck trying to pull that with the latest big witness.” WaPo: Why Alexander Vindman’s testimony is big.
+ But wait… “Vindman would seem like a difficult witness to attack: a career soldier, an active-duty lieutenant colonel in the Army, a Purple Heart recipient for a wound from an IED in Iraq. Yet imagining that Trump’s allies might struggle to impugn Vindman badly overestimates their scruples.” The Atlantic: Trump’s Defenders Are Now Attacking the Patriotism of a Purple Heart Officer. (These attacks on Vindman were the most predictable thing ever. After McCain, Goldstar families, and Mueller, the issue isn’t that Trump and his henchmen are attacking another patriot. The issue is that 40% of American voters can see this despicable treachery and be OK with it. That is the great American threat from within.)
+ Next stop: Open hearings. Here’s the latest from the impeachment pit from CNN and NYT.