Posted on 11/12/2019 10:36:33 AM PST by BlackFemaleArmyColonel
House Democrats conducted their impeachment interviews in secret, but Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman still emerged as star of the show. Appearing at his Oct. 29 deposition in full dress uniform, the decorated Army officer, now a White House National Security Council Ukraine expert, was the first witness who had actually listened to the phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that is at the heart of the Democratic impeachment campaign. Even though lawmakers were forbidden to discuss his testimony in public, Vindman's leaked opening statement that "I did not think it was proper [for Trump] to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen" exploded on news reports.
Vindman has not yet been scheduled to appear before the Democrats' public impeachment hearings. When that happens, he will undoubtedly again play a prominent role. But there will be a difference. The public now has a transcript of Vindman's deposition. And those who have taken the trouble to read the 340-page document will have a different picture of Vindman's testimony than the one presented in early media reports.
Yes, Vindman testified repeatedly that he "thought it was wrong" for Trump, speaking with Zelensky, to bring up the 2016 election and allegations of Ukraine-related corruption on the part of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. But the Vindman transcript also showed a witness whose testimony was filled with opinion, with impressions, who had little new to offer, who withheld important information from the committee, who was steeped in a bureaucracy that has often been hostile to the president, and whose lawyer, presumably with Vindman's approval, expressed unmistakable disdain, verging on contempt, for members of Congress who asked inconvenient questions. In short, Vindman's testimony was not the slam-dunk hit Democrats portrayed it to be.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
I’m curious - how many people are given access to a President’s confidential phone calls with foreign leaders? In real time? Or later listening to recordings?
How many times has a President had his confidential phone calls put out in the public domain right after he took office? No wonder President Trump does not trust the State Department along with other agencies.
And this years winner of The Doug Niedermeyer Award for the biggest asshole in a uniform goes to Alexander Vindman!
Bend over, Alex, and well pin it on you!
Vindman and Ciaramella are such obvious Drat operatives...
But, todays equivalents of Woodward & Bernstein are all proggies with TDS.
Rush spoke and wrote in the 90s about journalism became an Drat advocacy job, how 90% of attendees at a journalism convention then said theyre Drats and got into journalism to be political advocates. Those particular people have been doing so for 25 or so years, for a generation.
Once he got his medals, he left the grunts behind and became a Deep Stater, more loyal to Ukraine than the US.
Good question. Why so many listening to the call???
When is the Article 32 hearing scheduled? Seems to be Dereliction of Duty and Conduct Unbecoming should be at the forefront.
I am also wondering how Vindman earned the title of “decorated veteran.” Did he write himself up for a Purple Heart as John F. Kerry did for a wound which the doctor who treated it said was less serious than a rose thorn prick?
Trump has experienced 3 years of the deep state, permanent bureaucracy and the intelligence community Praetorian Guard trying to take him down. Even if Trump had blithely created some ridiculous scheme to force Ukraine to investigate Biden, wouldn't he assume half of Washington DC is listening to his calls? The whole MSM narrative on this just seems so half-baked.
Purple Heart
Defense Meritorious Service Medal(2)
Army Commendation Medal (4)
Army Achievement Medal (2)
Army Valorous Unit Award
Navy Unit Commendation
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
I keep asking how a soft, pudgy, bespectacled dork could have airborne and ranger badges?
My guess is that he "decorated" himself.
How’s the song go, feelings, nothing more than feelings....
Superb article. Thanks for posting.
Well worth clicking the link and reading the whole article.
It wasn’t a confidential call, it was a conference call with something like 17 people on the line, which is why this whole thing is a JOKE....
No one actually on the line complained, it was some 4th degree hearsay left wing deep state hack who filed the complaint AFTER talking with Schiff and the Democrats.
Can Trump truly expect any “confidential” calls?
Vindman was born in Ukraine so he has dual citizenship. Don’t know if he has a Ukrainian passport.
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