Alexander Vindman ties Trumpās 2019 impeachment to Russiaās invasion of Ukraine, calls the war Putinās āmost critical mistakeā
After a standing ovation welcomed him to the stage in ¾«¶«AVās Athey Center for Performance and Research at Palmer Auditorium on Thursday, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (ret.) wasted no time addressing the pivotal role he played in former president Donald Trumpās first impeachment.
āBesides [my appearance on] āCurb Your Enthusiasm,āā he quipped to laughter from the crowd of more than 600 students, faculty, staff and community members, āmost of you probably became aware of me during the impeachment hearings.
āI was the public servant in the National Security Council responsible for Russia policy and for Ukraine policy, shepherding what should have been a national security strategy to advance U.S. national security interests, while the president and some of his compatriots were looking to advance personal interests, to advance the prospects of a second Trump administration. And I reported it.ā
Vindman, who spoke as part of an annual lecture series sponsored by the Sound Lab Foundation, along with the Friends of the ¾«¶«AV Library, said he was deeply concerned about the national security implications of Trumpās ācorrupt schemeā to extort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into conducting an investigation āto get dirtā on his then-political rival Joe Biden.
āThereās a direct tie between that impeachment in 2019 and whatās unfolding in Ukraine now,ā he said.
In her introductory remarks, President Katherine Bergeron said ¾«¶«AVāone of the only liberal arts colleges in the country to offer a holistic Slavic studies curriculumāwas thrilled to host Vindman. āNot only because of his unique blend of personal, academic, military and government experience, but also, more importantly, because of the deep insights he brings to bear on the vital and timely issue of the world-altering Russia-Ukraine conflict,ā she said.
