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Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was fired by the National Security Council and escorted off of the White House grounds, Fox News has confirmed.
“Vindman was on detail to the National Security Council from the Department of Defense, and it is expected he will return there,” the report added.
Vindman’s attorney, David Pressman, released a statement and confirmed information that Vindman was escorted off White House grounds.
“There is no question in the mind of any American why this man’s job is over, why this country now has one less soldier serving it at the White House,” Pressman said.
“LTC Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth. His honor, his commitment to right, frightened the powerful.”
The news comes after reports that the White House was weighing options to dismiss Vindman from the NSC in an effort to shrink its foreign policy bureaucracy. Bloomberg reported Thursday that the White House planned to frame Vindman’s exit as part of an NSC staff downsizing, not retaliation.
President Trump on Friday, when asked about the reports, told reporters that he was “not happy with him.”
“You think I’m supposed to be happy with him? I’m not,” Trump said, adding that a decision will be made soon.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Mark Esper appeared to welcome the speculation that Vindman could be reassigned back to the Pentagon.
Vindman was a key witness in the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Former Vice President Joe Biden once oversaw Ukraine policy at the same time his son Hunter Biden benefitted in the Ukrainian natural gas business Burisma.
Trump suggested in his call with Ukraine’s new president that the Bidens deserved scrutiny.
This led Vindman to appear before to the United States Congress to testify in the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.
The U.S. Senate acquitted President Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment brought on by House Democrats.
Now Jennifer Jacobs of Bloomberg News reports “White House is weighing plan to dismiss Alexander Vindman from National Security Council after he testified in impeachment inquiry, a move that will be part of a broader effort to shrink Trump admin foreign policy bureaucracy, sources tell me.”
From Daily Wire:
“The White House intends to portray any house-cleaning as part of a downsizing of the NSC staff, not retaliation,” Bloomberg News reported.
“Senior officials were informed on Thursday that some staff 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 plan to remove Vindman 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,” Bloomberg News continued.
“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.”
The Daily Wire previously reported that during the impeachment hearings, Senior NSC official Timothy Morrison, who was the former boss of Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, testified that Vindman’s bosses had numerous concerns and problems with him.
Top official Tim Morrison said Alexander Vindman's bosses had a lot of concerns about him:
-Judgement
-Potential leaker
-Did not keep his bosses in the loop on what he was doing
-Went around his bosses' backs
-Was mad he was cut out of working on Ukraine pic.twitter.com/Z9qgSVs9dt— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) November 19, 2019
