Trump Impeachment: No Investigation Of Alexander Vindman, Army Secretary Says

The U.S. Army said Friday no disciplinary action would be taken against Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman despite pressure from President Trump who was angered by Vindman’s impeachment testimony.

Vindman, who alerted supervisors to Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, was ousted from his National Security Council position last week, apparent payback for his testimony before House impeachment investigators.

The phone call served as the basis of the abuse of power article of impeachment lodged against Trump.

Trump has described his phone call with Zelensky as “perfect,” but several witnesses, including Vindman, found it inappropriate and problematic. In the call, Trump asked Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, at the time a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Trump accused Vindman of reporting “very inaccurate things” but never cited any specifics.

He and his supports also conducted a smear campaign against the Purple Heart recipient and decorated officer.

Vindman had been scheduled to leave the NSC assignment in July when he is scheduled to take a post at the Army War College. In the interim, he’s assigned to the Pentagon.

"There's no investigations of him," Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said at a National Press Club event.

Vindman, a top Ukraine expert, and his twin brother, Yevgeny, also a lieutenant colonel and an NSC attorney who did not testify during the impeachment investigation, were escorted from the White House last Friday.

“We sent him on his way to a much different location and the military can handle him any way they want,” Trump said, adding, “If you look at what happened ... they’re going to certainly, I would imagine, take a look at that [disciplinary action].”

Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired Marine, defended Vindman, saying he did exactly what the Army taught him to do. The comment earned Trump’s wrath.

Trump tweeted he was unhappy with Kelly as chief of staff and couldn’t get rid of him “fast enough.” He also suggested Kelly misses being at the center of power.