President Trump to retire Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman

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US President Donald Trump is retiring the US army officer after 21-years of service. The move came due to he was a key witness in the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, citing a campaign of bullying from the White House. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman earned the ire of his former boss after he testified about a phone call between the president and his Ukrainian counterpart, during which Trump pushed the country to investigate his political opponent, Joe Biden. Trump later fired a top expert on Ukraine, Lt Col Vindman from his position on the National Security Council. His twin brother Yevgeny Vindman was also fired from his position at the NSC. The former advisor wrote on Twitter and said, “Today I officially requested retirement from the US Army, an organization I love. My family and I look forward to the next chapter of our lives”.

His attorney David Pressman issued a statement and said that Lt Col Vindman had been the victim of a campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation following his impeachment testimony, led by Trump. He said in a statement to CNN and said, “The President of the United States attempted to force LTC Vindman to choose: Between adhering to the law or pleasing a President. Between honoring his oath or protecting his career. Between protecting his promotion or the promotion of his fellow soldiers. The former White House adviser did what the law compelled him to do; and for that, he was bullied by the President and his proxies”.

Point to be noted that Lt Col Vindman’s testimony to the US House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry was among the most damning. He explained in November last year that he believed Trump’s request for an investigation into Biden and his son Hunter during a July phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was improper. Vindman said in his testimony, “It was inappropriate for the president to request to demand an investigation into a political opponent, especially from a foreign power where there is at best dubious belief that this would be a completely impartial investigation and that this would have significant implications if it became public knowledge”.