© AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
“That’s Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, please.”
Lt. Col.
Alexander Vindman's bombshell testimony Tuesday raised significant questions as to what his authority is within the White House National Security Council when he delivered a direct message to the Ukrainian president in April and whether he undermined the White House when he spoke to the foreign leader.
At the hearing, Vindman stated to House Intelligence Committee Chairman
Adam Schiff, (D-CA), that during the scheduled bilateral meeting in April, at the inauguration of President Volodymyr Zelensky, he offered the foreign leader direct advice, to "stay out of U.S. politics."
Rep. Schiff specifically asked Vindman as to "why did he felt it was necessary for President Zelensky to stay out of U.S. domestic politics?"
"Chairman, in the March and April timeframe, became clear there were actors in the U.S. ...public actors, non-governmental actors that were promoting the idea of investigations and 2016 Ukrainian interference...and it was consistence with U.S. policy to advise any country...all the countries in my portfolio, any country in the world to not participate in US domestic politics," explained Alexander Vindman.
His advice to the Ukrainian president was based on his
knowledge of an alleged plot being organized by public nongovernmental individuals to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden's sons dealings with a Ukrainian gas company and possible involvement of Ukraine in the 2016 presidential elections, he said.
Despite his concerns, he only advised the Ukrainian president and admits that he has never spoken personally with or directly advised Trump on these same facts. In fact, he's never met Trump, he told lawmakers.
Comment: Ha! Just like Russians, along with sweeping for any useful tech (who wouldn't do that?), to detail the boats like an upscale auto dealer and give them back to Ukraine probably in better shape than when they got them.