Read Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman's letter asking Fox to retract a segment smearing him

The Ingraham Angle segment aired before Vindman gave a deposition to the House Intelligence Committee

Written by John Whitehouse

Published

Lawyers for Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman formally requested that Fox News retract a segment baselessly suggesting he might be guilty of espionage. The segment in question aired on October 28, a day before Vindman gave a deposition to the House Intelligence Committee about President Donald Trump’s extortion plot regarding Ukraine. 

Initial reports about Vindman’s testimony focused on the fact that he reported to supervisors his concerns about Trump’s phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Here is the segment in question, in which Ingraham said Vindman was working “apparently against the president’s interest,” and former George W. Bush administration official John Yoo agreed, adding, “Some people might call that espionage.”

From the October 28, 2019, edition of Fox News' The Ingraham Angle

LAURA INGRAHAM (HOST): Fox News has confirmed that a White House national security official -- his name is Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman -- he's going to tell impeachment investigators tomorrow in a statement that's been distributed to some media outlets that he twice reported objections over Trump's call with Ukraine. 



But get this -- this is buried in the New York Times piece tonight -- but I found it very interesting.



He's a decorated colonel, by the way, in the Iraq War -- but because Col. Vindman emigrated from Ukraine along with his family when he was a child and is fluent in Ukrainian and Russian, Ukrainian officials sought advice from him about how to deal with Mr. [Rudy] Giuliani, though they typically communicated in English.



Now, wait a second, John. Here we have a U.S. national security official who is advising Ukraine, while working inside the White House, apparently against the president's interest, and usually, they spoke in English. Isn't that kind of an interesting angle on this story?



JOHN YOO: I find that astounding, and in -- you know, some people might call that espionage, but it doesn't actually seem to add any new facts to what we know.

Yoo later distanced himself from the remark, telling CNN’s Chris Cuomo that he meant to accuse the Ukrainians of espionage.

The letter makes clear the impact of the segment, noting that it “sparked a torrent of republications and copycat false charges,” that Trump “built on and amplified Fox News’ falsehoods” to his 66.9 million Twitter followers, and that “the President’s son personally attacked LTC Vindman’s loyalty on your network.” The letter also points to a segment from Fox’s Tucker Carlson just last night.

The letter also makes clear that such attacks from Fox News are directly linked to threats of violence against Vindman, saying that he and his family are considering options “to ensure their physical security in the face of threats rooted in the falsehood that Fox News originated.”

Letter from Lt. Col. Vindma... by Media Matters for America on Scribd

In a footnote, the letter notes that Fox News claims to honor members of America’s armed services and criticized other networks for an alleged “lack of sensitivity when it comes to the brave men and women who serve in the military.” The letter notes that such claims are incompatible with the smear campaign against Vindman.

Perhaps Fox News would be more welcoming to Lt. Col. Vindman if he had committed some war crimes. Though maybe don’t ask Yoo about that.