Fox News contributor Sara Carter launched a new dual-loyalty attack on Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman following his public testimony before the House Intelligence Community on November 19.
Vindman testified that he advised new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stay out of U.S. politics:
Asked why he felt it was necessary to warn Zelensky, Vindman told House impeachment investigators that it had become clear to him by March of this year that “there were public actors, non-governmental actors that were prompting the idea of investigations into 2016 Ukrainian interference.”
The revelation was jarring because it suggests that Zelensky was made aware by a U.S. official as early as May that there might be efforts to use him as a political pawn, shedding new light on recent reports that Zelensky raised concerns internally, with his staff, about the pressure he was feeling from Rudy Giuliani and other unofficial actors.
Vindman testified that he gave two pieces of advice during a bilateral meeting: “To be particularly cautious with regard to Russia and its desire to provoke Ukraine, and to stay out of U.S. domestic” politics.
On her personal website, Carter inexplicably melted down over this revelation, suggesting that he should have told President Donald Trump and implying that Vindman was displaying more loyalty to Ukraine than to the United States.
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.
…
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.
…
His testimony raises jarring questions as to who was directing Vindman, if anyone, to deliver policy directives to the then newly-elected Ukrainian president.
Sinclair contributor and former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka promoted Carter's attack on Twitter:
In the rest of his testimony, both today and in his October 29 deposition, Vindman made clear that he did raise concerns internally about Trump’s actions.
Furthermore, numerous people that knew of Giuliani’s actions in Ukraine at the time of Zelensky’s inauguration in May had made their concerns known -- including former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
Additionally, numerous people have spoken up on the record expressing concerns with Ukraine getting involved in domestic politics because it would destroy the bipartisan support for the country and damage national security. Former National Security Council official Tim Morrison has said that if the transcript of Trump’s call with Zelensky had been leaked, it could have damaged bipartisan support for Ukraine.
William Taylor, the acting United States ambassador to Ukraine, told the committee of a virtually identical conversation he had with Zelensky in September as the one Vindman described happening months earlier. “And I had just said to President Zelensky, bipartisan support of Ukraine in Washington is your most valuable strategic asset, don't jeopardize it. And don't intervene -- don't interfere in our elections and we won't interfere in your elections.”
