Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director of European affairs on the National Security Council (NSC), told House investigators last week that he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not to get “entangled” in U.S. domestic politics after Zelensky asked him how to handle President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Vindman said Zelensky asked him “repeatedly” whether Giuliani speaks for the U.S. government. Vindman reportedly told the Ukraine leader that Giuliani was only authorized to speak on policy directives, not on national security matters. But Giuliani was “making demands,” according to a witness to Vindman’s testimony in the House.
The source did not say what demands Giuliani made, however. Giuliani has been helping to investigate the origins of the Trump–Russia collusion probe, as well as former Vice President Joe Biden and son Hunter’s relationship to Ukraine, according to Breitbart.
Worried about the implications
Vindman’s concern over the call did not seem to stem from any quid pro quo demand or corrupt arrangement, but rather, the possibility that Ukraine could get pulled into the partisan politics of the U.S. and lose the support of one side of the political aisle if Zelensky appeared too partial to Trump.
“I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine,” Vindman said in his opening statement, which was released to the press upon his testimony, according to The Hill.
He went on: “I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma [a company Hunter Biden worked with], it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained.”
The loss of bipartisan support could “undermine U.S. national security,” according to Vindman. But he did not specify how he thought it would do so.
It also has not been clear whether Trump knew that Giuliani was making demands of Zelensky or whether he had asked Giuliani to do so. The transcript of the call released to the public does mention both Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr, which suggests that Zelensky may have had contact with one or both of them outside the July 25 call, but not much else is known.
The greatest witch hunt in history
The Journal also reported that Vindman asked his identical twin brother, Army Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman — an ethics lawyer on the National Security Council, to join a meeting detailing his concerns about the phone call with Zelensky, according to Breitbart.
Reports have alleged that Yevgeny may have witnessed the move of the call to a secret server, and he may be called to testify before the Intelligence Committee about what he knows. House investigators have reached out to Yevgeny’s lawyer, who has declined to comment about the situation.
The White House has also declined to comment about what it called “internal deliberations of the White House Counsel’s Office.”
For his part, Trump has continued to state that his call with Zelensky was “perfect” and that no quid pro quo occurred.
The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2019
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