Adam Schiff has written to Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman to praise his service in the U.S. military and criticize Donald Trump for his role in Vindman’s early retirement.
Vindman was a key witness in the House impeachment inquiry. He suffered sustained attacks from the President allies and announced this week he would retire from the army.
“Right matters,” Schiff wrote to Vindman, echoing the Lt. Colonel’s own words.
“Right does not matter to Donald Trump. But it matters to you. It matters to this country and to its people. It will always matter.”
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A letter to Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman:
Right does not matter to Donald Trump. But it matters to you. It matters to this country and to its people. It will always matter.
And with those words, you have left an indelible mark on our nation’s conscience and history. pic.twitter.com/sysJxdRQpU
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 8, 2020
“And with those words, you have left an indelible mark on our nations’ conscience and history.”
“For if right does not matter in our country, if truth does not matter, then we are truly lost.”
Vindman’s attorney, David Pressman, argued that political retaliation had led to the conclusion “that his future within the institution he has dutifully served will forever be limited.”
“The President of the United States attempted to force LTC Vindman to choose: Between adhering to the law or pleasing a President,” Pressman said.
“These are choices that no one in the United States should confront, especially one who has dedicated his life to serving it.”
Lt. Colonel Vindman’s next steps remain unclear.
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
