Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman was fired from his job on the National Security Council on Friday and was escorted from the White House and his brother reportedly left with him, although it was not clear whether he was also fired.
“Vindman, the top Ukraine expert at the National Security Council, was pushed out of his role Friday months earlier than expected, according to a statement from his attorney,” CNN reported. “Vindman was not slated to leave until July, but had been telling colleagues in recent weeks he would likely leave soon. It was not his decision to leave, however, according to one person familiar with the situation.”
“We do have one remaining question which is about the future of [Alexander Vindman’s] brother, Eugene, who is an attorney for the National Security Council who we are told also walked out with Vindman today but it’s unclear if he received the same message about his services no longer being needed,” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins said on CNN’s “The Lead” with Jake Tapper.
Collins added: “I’m told Vindman walked out with his brother, who is an attorney for the NSC. It’s unclear if he was also fired but that was the expectation.”
I’m told Vindman walked out with his brother, who is an attorney for the NSC. It’s unclear if he was also fired but that was the expectation.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 7, 2020
During Vindman’s testimony it was revealed that he did not know basic facts about U.S. aid to the country and, when the subject came up at his job, he apparently was not interested in wanting to know more about Hunter Biden joining the corrupt Ukrainian gas company Burisma.
Top Ukraine guy at NSC apparently thought Obama administration had provided Javelins to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/Gd1830At3K
— Byron York (@ByronYork) November 9, 2019
Corrupt Ukrainian company owned by corrupt Ukrainian oligarch hires vice president's son and top Ukraine guy on NSC doesn't want to know about it. From Vindman deposition: pic.twitter.com/yy3QLX0dqd
— Byron York (@ByronYork) November 10, 2019
The Daily Wire previously reported that during the impeachment hearings, Senior National Security Council 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.
GOP counsel Steve Castor asked, “You had indicated in your deposition that when you took over the [Ukraine] portfolio for Dr. Hill July 15 that you were alerted to potential issues in Colonel Vindman’s judgement?”
“Yes,” Morrison responded.
“Did she relay anything specifically to you why she thought that?” Castor asked.
Morrison responded that the concern apparently came from multiple officials and was an overall general concern about his judgment.
“Did any other NSC personnel raise concerns with you about Colonel Vindman?” Castor asked.
“Yes,” Morrison responded.
“Morrison later confirmed that multiple other officials were concerned that Vindman was potentially leaking sensitive information to the media,” The Daily Wire reported. “Morrison also confirmed that Vindman did not keep him in the loop about all the things that he was doing in the job and that Vindman went behind his back and did not inform him about the concerns that he had about President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine.”
“If he had concerns about something about the content of the call, that’s something that I expected that I would have been notified of,” Morrison said. “I also think as a matter of practice, since we both went to the lawyers, we didn’t both need to.”
“At any point subsequently, did [Vindman] become frustrated that he felt cut out of some of the Ukraine portfolio?” Castor asked.
“Yes,” Morrison responded, adding that Vindman was upset that he was not invited on a trip to Ukraine.
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