WASHINGTON (CN) — Pointing to retaliation and bullying from the White House, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key witness in President Donald Trump’s impeachment, is retiring from the Army after more than two decades of military service.
“LTC Vindman did what the law compelled him to do, and for that he was bullied by the president and his proxies,” David Pressman, a partner at Jenner & Block who represents Vindman, said in a statement Wednesday. “And yet, LTC Vindman would not be intimidated and will not be corrupted. He did what he has always done: put the interests of his country ahead of his own.”
Pressman said Vindman made the decision after it became clear “that his future within the institution he has dutifully served will forever be limited.”
The Washington Post reported in June that military officials were concerned Vindman’s promotion to colonel, scheduled for later this year, was in jeopardy due to opposition from the White House.
Vindman worked as an expert on Ukraine in the National Security Council and testified to the House about concerns he raised regarding the now-infamous July 25, 2019, call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the center of the president’s impeachment.
“I was concerned by the call,” Vindman said in prepared remarks when appearing for closed-door testimony in October. “I do not think it was proper to demand a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine.”
Vindman listened in on the call and was so troubled by what he heard that he reported it to lawyers for the National Security Council.
A Purple Heart recipient, Vindman has been the target of Trump and his allies, who accused him of being biased against the president. Trump publicly said in February he was not happy with Vindman’s continued presence on the White House staff. Vindman was forced out of his job later that same day.
Representative Eliot Engel, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Vindman will eventually be “viewed as the heroic embodiment of courage and service to this country.”
“No doubt the president and his allies will privately cheer the retirement of Lt. Colonel Vindman, who’s been the target of bullying and retaliation since he courageously told the truth about the president’s corruption and abuse of power,” the New York Democrat said in a statement. “That’s how this administration works.”
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment on Vindman’s announcement.
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