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Lt. Col. Alex Vindman Is Living, Breathing Proof That The Deep State Exists, And It Is Corrupt
The Federalist ^ | 11/12/2019 | Jim Hanson

Posted on 11/12/2019 7:59:39 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman is living, breathing, testifying proof the Deep State exists. He has shown his true colors and the agenda of the self-appointed elites who think they run this country.

Let me state categorically that I am not implying dual loyalty or questioning Vindman’s patriotism or even his devotion to duty as he sees it. I’m questioning his judgment about where that duty lies and the execution of those duties as a military officer and civil servant.

The term “deep state” is now highly charged politically. The right takes it as a given, the left sometimes denies its existence. Here’s my definition for the purposes of this discussion.

Deep State (noun): The permanent, professional bureaucracy of the U.S. government, specifically those who believe their judgment and continual service makes them better suited to run the country than elected officials or political appointees.

That’s accurate, but to expand on why it matters, we should note the political contributions of federal employees in the last presidential election went 95 percent to Hillary Clinton. There is nothing illegal or nefarious about that, but it certainly points out the one-sided political nature of this cohort. While they may not openly organize into political action committees, their hold on federal levers of power dangerously skews government’s actions and inactions toward the preferences of the political left.

Any mention of this is immediately discounted and attacked by the media because they have a symbiotic relationship with these folks. They are the sources for most of the leaks that are the lifeblood of the political press, and exposing that is in neither group’s interest. They treat it as a conspiracy theory and continue to use it to serve their joint purpose of advancing a leftist agenda globally. They do this regardless of which party has political control of government, although their cooperation with Democrats and undermining of Republicans is the deepest problem.

The DC Game Is Rigged to Favor the Deep State

The game is fixed in DC: politicians come and go, but the bureaucracy chugs along protecting and advancing its own interests. Two perfect examples unfolded in the most recent presidencies. Barack Obama chose a nuclear deal with Iran as the legacy achievement of his foreign policy. He pursued it relentlessly to our detriment, both in actual ability to stop Iran from getting nukes, and in subjugating our entire foreign policy to this one goal.

The Deep State loved it. They were all in on his side, and the media had never more completely acted as palace scribes dutifully parroting every administration talking point and obfuscating or attacking contrary views. They faithfully misinformed the public to the best of their ability, and in the end Obama, the bureaucrats, and the media rammed the deal through while the American public showed 2-1 disapproval. It was a victory for the Deep State.

Shift forward to the 2016 election campaign and the collusion between Democrats and Deep Staters to stop the Trump train and then, after it left Inauguration Station, to derail it. The Trump-Russia witch hunt is an egregious example of the power of the state being abused for partisan political purposes.

That failed to deliver the goal of deposing the president, and may even backfire as the investigations into it complete and there is a possibility of indictments for some of the conspirators. Having come at the president and missed, they decided to redouble their efforts, so we come to the impeachment inquiry currently operating in full kangaroo court fashion.

Vindman’s Testimony Gives the Game Away

They began with a “whistleblower,” but it was quickly shown that this person was nowhere near any of the events in question and likely colluded with Democrats prior to even filing the complaint. They needed a better front man, and Vindman was perfect: a military officer with a Purple Heart and privy to all the requisite details as the Ukraine desk lead for the National Security Council. Who would dare impugn his honor?

But Vindman gave the game away with his prepared testimony. He believes the permanent bureaucracy should reign supreme, and if some elected politician gets crosswise with the solons of the state, then they must act. So he did, as he detailed in his prepared statement and testimony to Congress. From the statement: “In the Spring of 2019, I became aware of outside influencers promoting a false narrative of Ukraine inconsistent with the consensus views of the interagency. This narrative was harmful to U.S. government policy.”

There is a lot of wrong in those two sentences, which profoundly illustrate the fundamental flaw Vindman and his fellow Deep Staters operate under. The interagency he mentions is a collection of staff from the major agencies like the State Department, Department of Defense, and intelligence agencies, who meet to coordinate and plan implementation of policy. They most certainly are not supposed to decide what policy the United States will follow. That is 100 percent the purview of the president.

Dissenters Within Government Will Be Persecuted

As for “outside influencers,” Vindman is primarily speaking of Rudy Giuliani, who was acting in some ways as a private citizen, but also as an emissary of President Trump. During his testimony, Vindman was asked who else he meant as “outside,” and he named U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sonland and U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker.

This is telling, as Giuliani may somewhat fairly be called an outsider, even though he was acting at the president’s behest, but both Sonland and Volker are members of the government with direct responsibility for Ukraine and are significantly senior to Vindman. Yet Vindman called them “outsiders,” saying Volker as special representative for Ukraine was fine when he “was working in concert with the interagency,” but when in contact with Giuliani “that was not the case”; and that Sonland was “a bit of an outside influencer.”

alt

His standard for an outsider was anyone not in concert with the unelected mid-level bureaucrats of the interagency. Wrong answer, but indicative of his belief that they are the ones whose opinions matter and anyone acting outside of that is acting against U.S. interests. Even if that conflicted with the policy of his superiors all the way up to the president, Vindman and the Deep State would decide what “advanced U.S. policy interests.”

Vindman also took action warning Ukrainian officials he spoke to: “I would tell them to not interfere — not get involved in U.S. domestic politics.”

This was after Vindman says he had determined the calls for an investigation into election interference and anything related to Burisma corruption and the Bidens equaled President Trump trying to get Ukraine to interfere in U.S. politics. He was actively undermining what he believes is the president’s chosen policy—not because it is illegal, but because he disagrees with it and doesn’t think it is important.

That is far beyond Vindman’s duties or authority, and in applying his opinion and actions to counter the president’s goals he was violating the oath he swore to obey the orders of “officers appointed above me.”

alt

This is insubordination and malfeasance, and likely punishable under several sections of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

Using Bureaucracy As a Weapon of Politics

I disagree with Vindman that Trump was using these investigations for purely political purposes. There were legitimate U.S. concerns about election interference and corruption related to senior U.S. officials.

Vindman argued in testimony that he didn’t believe these allegations were credible, but it’s not his position to decide that. It’s his job to give his advice saying he doesn’t agree they are credible but then execute the president’s foreign policy decisions once they are made. Instead, he sabotaged them.

Vindman had previously shown he did not know his place in the hierarchy of our government. During a trip to celebrate the inauguration of the new president of Ukraine, Volodomyr Zelensky, he actually lectured the new president on staying out of U.S. domestic politics.

This was another glaring example of Vindman attempting to undermine President Trump’s efforts to get investigations moving. It would be hard to explain how stunningly inappropriate it was for someone this junior to address a world leader in this fashion, especially in front of senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials.

alt

Now Vindman serves the interests of the partisan witch hunt round two happening in the House. The first one failed, as former special counsel Robert Mueller found zero collusion. Now the Dems and the Deep State have elevated more policy disagreements to what amounts to an attempted coup.

It’s doubtful they’ll succeed in actually removing the president, because even if the shenanigans in the House result in a vote to impeach the president, there is near zero chance the Senate will convict. They will be able to call all the witnesses and ask all the questions that ringmaster Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has forbidden in the House. This may even show that Vindman was one of the sources the whistleblower used in making the complaint that started this whole charade.

The whole impeachment inquiry may backfire hugely when the American people see and hear the full extent of what the unelected, self-selected Deep State has tried to do to a duly elected U.S. president. Let’s hope so.

It should certainly serve as a warning of the danger posed when the permanent bureaucracy chooses a side. Our government must be responsible to the desires of the people as indicated by the leaders elected to serve them, not the partisan goals of the Deep State.


Jim Hanson is president of Security Studies Group and served in U.S. Army Special Forces.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: alexvindman; couppeachment; deepstate; impeachment; ukraine; vindman
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To: SeekAndFind

“I became aware of outside influencers promoting a false narrative of Ukraine inconsistent with the consensus views of the interagency”

So the president himself, the commander in chief, is an outsider?

This is insubbordination of the highest order and the whole interagency clique should be court martialled


21 posted on 11/12/2019 8:44:56 AM PST by aquila48 (Do not let them make you care!)
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To: SeekAndFind

He’s also proof it reaches very low
In DC, a LTC staffer makes copies and fetches coffee unless they leech onto a power figure


22 posted on 11/12/2019 8:45:35 AM PST by silverleaf (Age Takes a Toll: Please Have Exact Change)
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To: SeekAndFind

This precisely goes to the source of policy. For the Deep State bureaucrat, policy is determined by the aggregate of bureaucratic procedure. Policy is what ever the functionaries in the government determine it to be. The Constitution says otherwise.
The Constitution places policy squarely on the President’s desk. The elected officer of the Executive branch is the sole arbiter of policy. This is the precise struggle in which our nation is engaged.


23 posted on 11/12/2019 8:54:55 AM PST by Louis Foxwell (A deep and terrible ignorance born of abject corruption is required to hate our president.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Vindman needs an Article 92.


24 posted on 11/12/2019 8:56:42 AM PST by NTHockey (Rules of engagement #1: Take no prisoners. And to the NSA trolls, FU)
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To: goodnesswins

I want to know if he is even an AMERICAN CITIZEN!!


25 posted on 11/12/2019 9:02:46 AM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion....... The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Pillsbury Dough Boy should not be prancing around in a uniform that is two sizes too small


26 posted on 11/12/2019 9:07:11 AM PST by Chauncey Gardiner
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To: SeekAndFind

If the colonel was not the insidious, unethical, rebellious political activist that he is, he would have resigned right after Trump was elected.

Instead he desired to, and chose to be a disloyal employee - disloyal to the elected government - attempting to undermine the government he took an oath to serve.


27 posted on 11/12/2019 9:08:51 AM PST by Wuli
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To: SeekAndFind

I’ve been typing up Ratcliffe’s questioning of Vindman, but gave up as too labor intensive. Here’s what I have:

_____________________________

MR. RATCLIFFE: All right. So you did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen. You used the work “demand,” it was not proper to demand. Where in the transcript do you believe that the President made a demand to investigate a U.S. citizen?

LT. COL. VINDMAN: So, Congressman, the power disparity between the President of the United States and the President of Ukraine is vast, and, you know, in the President asking for something, it became — there was — in return for a White House meeting, because that’s what this was about. This was about getting a white House meeting. It was a demand for him to fulfill his — fulfill this particular prerequisite in order to get the meeting.

MR. RATCLIFFE: Okay. Well, and I understand that based on that answer that your opinion is that it was a demand. I’m looking for where in the transcript you think there are words used that justify the use of that term, “demand,” as opposed to what you just said, which was ask for.

LT. COL. VINDMAN: You know, I guess I didn’t — frankly, Congressman, I didn’t parse the words all that clearly. This is, you know — I’m not — I guess I — I’m not an attorney by training. This is — I just wrote it the way I kind of felt it. And that’s the way I described it.

MR. RATCLIFFE: Fair enough. The reason I’m asking you, though, is the word when we’re talking about an allegation that there was a quid pro quo has significance, and demand has a specific connotation. And in this case, President Trump has said there was no demand. President Zelensky has said there was no demand. Secretary Pompeo has said there was no demand. Vice President Pence has said there was no demand.

But, Colonel Vindman, it’s your opinion that there was a demand, and so I’m asking where in the transcript do you find words used that justify that term?

LT. COL. VINDMAN: Sure, I guess, Congressman, I’d go back to the fact that, you know, this whole matter has been unfolding over the course of months. On the 10th of July, this — it bacame completely apparent what the deliverable woudl be in order to get a White House Meeting.

That deliverable was reinforced by the President. There was no, oh, it’s okay — you know, I guess in my mind, there was no it’s okay, if you don’t want to do the investigation we can still do a White House meeting. The demand was, in order to get the White House meeting, they had to deliver an investigation. That became clear as time progressed from how this thing unfolded through the 10th all the way through the conclusion.

That’s my – I mean, that’s just the way I – it seemed clear to me, and that’s my – that’s why I said what I think. That’s just the way it seemed to me.

MR. RATCLIFFE: Okay. So, again, clear to you, but you cannot point me to a specific place in the July 25th phone call that justifies the use of the word “demand.”

LT. COL. VINDMAN: If you give me a minute, Congressman, I’ll just –

MR. RATCLIFFE: Take as long as you want.

LT. COL. VINDMAN: And I’ll take a look and see if I can find something.

MR. RATCLIFFE: What the time? I just want to reflect how long the witness is looking for wirds to justify demand and the record reflect that.

What’s the time? All right. I’m going to let the record reflect that I’ve given the witness several minutes to look for words that justify the use of the word “demand.”

Have you found anything at this point?

LT. COL. VINDMAN: I think so.

MR. RATCLIFFE: Okay. What is it?

LT. COL. VINDMAN: So I’m going to read the President’s words as they were in this – as they were transcribed in this record.

I would like you to do –

MR. RATCLIFFE: What page?

LT. COL. VINDMAN: This is page 3, Congressman. I would like you to – top of the page. I would like you to do us a favor, though, because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine. They say CrowdStrike. I guess you have one of t hose – one of your wealthy people, the server, they say Ukraine has it. There are a lot of things that went on, and the whole situation. I think you’re surrounding yourself with some of the same people. I would like you to have the Attorney General call – I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it.

I’ll go on. As you saw yesterday, that whole nonsense ended with a poor performance by a man named Robert Mueller, an incompetent performance, but they cay a lot of it started with Ukraine. Whatever you do, it’s very important that you do it – that you do it if that’s possible.

And then next time he speaks at the bottom of the page, good, because I heard you had a prosecutor –

MR. RATCLIFFE: Okay. Let me stop you right there, just to address it paragraph by paragraph. In that sentence, does the President mention anything about Biden or Burisma? Does the President mention anything about Biden or Burisma?

LT. COL. VINDMAN: No. No, Congressman.

MR. RATCLIFFE: Okay. Are the President’s comments in that paragraph that you just read where he asked for a favor that you’re interpreting as a demand relate specifically to the 2016 election and whether there was interference involving the DNC server?

LT. COL. VINDMAN: Sure, Congressman, I’ll simply say – I’ll simply say that the demand, the way I wrote it in the – my testimony or opening statement is my assessment of the entirety. I just read the first paragraph. It’s the entirety of what the President communicated. And when the President of the United states makes a request for a favor, it certainly seems – I would take it as a demand.

MR. RATCLIFFE: Fair enough.

LT. COL. VINDMAN: As a military officer, Congressman, as a military officer, if my superiors tell me to do something, I take that not as a request, I take that as a demand.

MR. RATCLIFFE: Okay. Do you know whether it’s proper for a President, whether he is asking or demanding assistance, to investigate a U.S. citizen?
LT. COL. VINDMAN: The – so, Congressman, when I spoke to Mr. Eisenberg, I was expressing concerns about the entirety of the conversation. I was relaying to him my concerns. Was I making a judgement on anything outside of that, for instance, criminality? No. All I was doing was, through the chain of command, expressing concerns.

MR. RATCLIFFE: Okay.

LT. COL, VINDMAN: Did I in any way foresee that this was going to unfold the way it did and it was going to be in the public record? No. I was just expressing concerns.

And frankly, there was a reason for this. Because these are senior officials within the Department that provide him counsel. That they could then say, Mr. President, this – you know, we might want to stay away from this topic. And that’s what I’m doing when I provide my best advice.

MR. RATCLIFFE: I appreciate the explanation, but the answer is that you didn’t know, correct?

LT. COL. VINDMAN: I thought it was wrong. I thought it was wrong for the President of the United States to call for an investigation of – call a foreign power to investigate a U.S. citizen.


28 posted on 11/12/2019 9:15:05 AM PST by Yo-Yo ( is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: TakebackGOP

Trump would have to fire 50%(or more)of the people that work in DC. The government would grind to a halt. Not that it would be a bad thing. That is, until the first SS check did not show up in grandma’s mailbox.


29 posted on 11/12/2019 10:01:15 AM PST by woodbutcher1963
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To: woodbutcher1963

If he was working with Biden on Ukraine, he should have been fired.


30 posted on 11/12/2019 10:09:05 AM PST by TakebackGOP
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To: goodnesswins
And Vindman is UKRANIAN!!#!

In the Ukrainian language, "Vindman" means "lard ass"

31 posted on 11/12/2019 10:30:28 AM PST by CDB
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To: Da Coyote

That guy is a light bird??? What a disgrace!!!


32 posted on 11/12/2019 11:05:03 AM PST by MGunny (l)
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To: UCANSEE2
Were I to be his commanding officer, his officer efficiency report would be banned due to an excess of colorful descriptors.

In his case, he was doing exactly what his raters wanted (Fiona Hill and Tim Morrison). I’m sure that he received glowing words of praise from both of them.

33 posted on 11/12/2019 11:54:51 AM PST by centurion316
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To: SeekAndFind
“In the Spring of 2019, I became aware of outside influencers promoting a false narrative of Ukraine inconsistent with the consensus views of the interagency. This narrative was harmful to U.S. government policy.”

Benedict Arnold thought he was serving the interests of the country too.

34 posted on 11/12/2019 1:42:39 PM PST by gogeo (The left prides themselves on being tolerant, but they can't even be civil.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Vindman was always the designated whistleblower. Ciarmella’s only function was to blow a hole in a wall that Vindman could not breach without being courtmartialed because of his military status.

Anonymity is needed for Ciarmella in order to protect Vindman.

The whole thing is putrid.


35 posted on 11/12/2019 3:58:10 PM PST by Tom Bombadil
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To: SeekAndFind

Corrupt Deep State - bump for later....


36 posted on 11/12/2019 5:17:48 PM PST by indthkr
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