Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, has come out in opposition to President Trump’s suggestion that the military should take disciplinary action against Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.
But he’s not the only one who’s challenging those who want to penalize the House’s leading impeachment witness.
It appears the Pentagon tacitly agrees that Vindman’s career should proceed on the merits of his talents and abilities, for, so far, they have kept quiet following Trump’s recommendation.
One U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, seems to corroborate that, telling ABC News that no one will investigate Vindman for his testimony during the House’s impeachment inquiry.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez has more:
After President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he imagined the U.S. military will look into taking disciplinary actions against Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, after he was reassigned to the Army last week from the National Security Council, the Pentagon on Wednesday was not saying if the star witness in the Trump impeachment hearings will face any such action.
…
Last Friday, after Vindman had been escorted out of the White House and asked if he would be welcomed back at the Pentagon — and what the Pentagon would do to ensure he did not face retribution by the president or others — Esper had replied, “We welcome back all of our service members wherever they serve to any assignment they’re given.”
“I would refer you to the Army for any more detail on that,’ Esper added. “And as I said, we protect all of our persons, service members from retribution or anything like that. So we’ve already addressed that in policy and other means.”
Vindman’s twin brother, Yevgeny, was escorted from the White House. Until Friday, Yevgeny served as a lawyer on the national security council. He also holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Army.
Following their reassignment, the Army is not responding to calls for further comment, merely stating, “out of respect for their privacy, we will not be providing any further information at this time.”
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