Republicans admit that Vindman’s testimony was "damaging" in private: report

“The GOP reaction to Vindman comes as the party faces frontal attacks on two of its major talking points"

Published October 30, 2019 10:00AM (EDT)

National Security Council Director for European Affairs Alexander Vindman arrives for a closed-door deposition at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on October 29, 2019. - A White House official plans to tell Congress Tuesday that he witnessed efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate President Donald Trump's rival Joe Biden, and that he reported it as a national security risk. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman will be the first White House official to testify to the House impeachment inquiry that Trump and allied diplomats improperly pressured the Ukraine government to open investigations designed to help Trump politically. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
National Security Council Director for European Affairs Alexander Vindman arrives for a closed-door deposition at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on October 29, 2019. - A White House official plans to tell Congress Tuesday that he witnessed efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate President Donald Trump's rival Joe Biden, and that he reported it as a national security risk. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman will be the first White House official to testify to the House impeachment inquiry that Trump and allied diplomats improperly pressured the Ukraine government to open investigations designed to help Trump politically. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on Raw Story
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Testimony by Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was “damaging” for President Donald Trump, Republicans are privately admitting, The Washington Post reported Tuesday evening.

The story was headlined, “Firsthand account of Trump’s Ukraine call puts GOP in bind, emboldens Democrats.”

“A top National Security Council official on Tuesday delivered a firsthand account of President Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, putting congressional Republicans in a bind and emboldening Democrats as they moved toward their first impeachment vote Thursday,” The Post reported.

“Trump and his allies on TV lashed out at Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who said his concerns about what he heard in Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky drove him to notify his superiors. Trump dismissed Vindman as a ‘Never Trumper,’ while some of his allies questioned the patriotism of the Army combat veteran because his family emigrated from the Soviet Union when he was 3,” the newspaper reported.

While some allies are attacking Vindman, Republicans are privately admitting the testimony harmed Trump in the impeachment inquiry.

“Privately, several Republicans found Vindman’s testimony to be damaging and lamented that once again they were forced to defend the president,” the paper noted.

“The GOP reaction to Vindman comes as the party faces frontal attacks on two of its major talking points in Trump’s defense. Vindman’s account of the phone call deprives Republicans of the complaint that the witnesses called by Democrats have relied on hearsay when discussing the president’s interactions with Zelensky. And as Democrats moved to vote on a resolution to hold open hearings on impeachment, Republicans faced the prospect of losing their complaint that the inquiry is being conducted in secret,” The Post noted.

Read the full report.


By Bob Brigham

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