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Reports: Trump Administration Planning To Remove and Reassign Vindman


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New reports out today indicate that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman may soon have a new job.

It appears that Vindman will be removed from his current post and reassigned to a different position within the Department of Defense as early as today.

Take a look:

Here's what Fox News had to say:

The White House is reportedly weighing options to dismiss Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council (NSC) in an effort to shrink its foreign policy bureaucracy, a report said.

Bloomberg reported that the White House plans to frame it as part of an NSC staff downsizing, not a retaliation. Vindman gave testimony last year during President Donald Trump's impeachment proceedings.

Vindman was an important witness for the Democrats in July and raised concerns over Trump's phone call with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky.

National Security Council aide Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman is sworn in to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, during a public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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Vindman had drawn applause from spectators during his testimony before the House Intelligence Committee -- after expressing his love for America when asked how he overcame his fear of retaliation.

"Congressman, because this is America. This is the country I have served and defended, that all of my brothers have served. And here, right matters," Vindman said. "I knew I was assuming a lot of risk. [My father] deeply worried about [my testimony]. Because in his context, it was the ultimate risk."

CNN reported that Vindman has been telling colleagues that he expects to be leaving the NSC and return to work at the Department of Defense.

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And from Bloomberg:

The White House is weighing a plan to dismiss Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council after he testified in President Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry, preparing to position the move as part of a broader effort to shrink the foreign policy bureaucracy, two people familiar with the matter said.

Any moves would come after the Senate on Wednesday acquitted Trump on a near party-line vote at the conclusion of the two-week impeachment trial. The White House intends to portray any house-cleaning as part of a downsizing of the NSC staff, not retaliation, according to the people.

Vindman was one of the Democrats’ most crucial witness in their impeachment proceedings -- a decorated Army lieutenant colonel, who raised the alarm over the president’s July 25 telephone call with Ukraine’s leader. Before Vindman’s testimony, the only account of that call came from an anonymous whistle-blower whose identity has remained largely hidden to this day, and a partial transcript released by the White House.

Some of the officials being targeted for removal from the NSC would be reassigned because they’re perceived as being disloyal to the president, three people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity owing to the sensitivity of personnel moves.

Senior staff were informed on Thursday that some aides would be leaving the White House, the people added. The moves have been in the works since at least last week and could come as soon as Friday.

The departure of Vindman could trigger objections from Democrats and possibly some Republicans. Those concerns could mount if the Trump administration acts against additional government officials.

The plan to remove him suggests that the White House is feeling emboldened to retaliate against those Trump blames for making him the third U.S. president to be impeached by the House.

Vindman has not been told of any change in his status, according to a person close to his legal team, and plans to show up for work until told otherwise. His twin, Yevgeny Vindman, also remains at the NSC and is not aware of any change in his status, that person added.

And finally, confirmed by The Hill:

President Trump is expected to push out Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a National Security Council (NSC) aide who testified during House Democrats’ impeachment hearings, as early as Friday, sources told The Washington Post.

The Post's sources said that Vindman will be assigned to a position within the Defense Department. According to the paper, Vindman had already informed officials at the NSC that he intended to leave his post by the end of the month, but it appears that Trump will move him before that timeline.

Trump on Thursday held an event in the East Room that was dubbed a celebration of his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial.

The event followed the National Prayer Breakfast, at which Trump took jabs at Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the only GOP senator who voted to convict Trump on abuse of power.

“I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong," he said at the breakfast. "Nor do I like people who say ‘I pray for you’ when they know that that’s not so."

Trump continued in the same fashion at his East Room event, calling Pelosi a “horrible person” and claiming that Romney had “no sign of principles."

Trump has reportedly mocked Vindman in private, according to the Post, and has discussed removing other national security officials that testified in the impeachment hearings, sources told the newspaper.



 

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