Alexander Vindman was a key witness during impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Vindman has more recently become a big name in the anti-Trump movement. Vindman gave an interview with The Atlantic editor in Chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, in which Vindman was very critical of President Trump, particularly when it came to Goldberg’s questions about Russian intelligence.
Keep in mind, this is likely Vindman’s first big interview in quite a while. Also, something to keep in mind, is that Goldberg recently was criticized about his story that mentioned anonymous sources being highly critical of Trump, saying that he called military who lost their lives both “suckers” and “losers.” Goldberg was criticized for using anonymous sources and his foes on social media accused him of making the story up – but Goldberg claimed he stood by his reporting.
What exactly did Vindman say this time?
Goldberg presented a very simple question to Vindman: “Does he believe that Trump is an asset of Russian intelligence?”
Vindman’s response was highly critical to the president. Vindman stated that “President Trump should be considered to be a useful idiot and a fellow traveler, which makes him an unwitting agent of Putin.”
Goldberg continued, asking if Vindman thinks Russia is blackmailing Trump.
Vindman responds, saying “they may or may not have dirt on him, but they don’t have to use it… They have more effective and less risky ways to employ him. He has aspirations to be the kind of leader that Putin is, and so he admires him. He likes authoritarian strongmen who act with impunity, without checks and balances. So he’ll try to please Putin. In the Army we call this ‘free chicken,’ something you don’t have to work for—it just comes to you. This is what the Russians have in Trump: free chicken.”
Vindman targeted the president in Goldberg’s interview, but did another interview with Today where he self-proclaimed to be a “never-Trumper.”
The interview on Today’s website was posted in video form, but with the caption “In an exclusive interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, now-retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key witness at President Trump’s impeachment hearings, said “I could say that I’m now a never-Trumper.” In response to the interview, a National Security Council spokesman called Vindman “a disgruntled former detailee.”
President Donald Trump and Alexander Vindman clearly have an issue with each other.
It was only back in February that Vindman was fired and escorted out of the White House.
Vindman fired and escorted out of White House at Trending Views