A major witness in the 2019 impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is being accused of trying to make a hefty profit off the war in Ukraine, using his anti-Trump credentials to bolster his case.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee leveled the charge against retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.
Vindman portrayed himself as a whistleblower trying to protect the integrity of government when he leaked information about a call between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and subsequently testified against Trump in his impeachment.
Vindman’s staunchest critics painted him as a malcontent who was solely out for himself.
Blackburn told Fox News that Vindman remains an “opportunist” to this day, and is trying to turn a profit from the war in Ukraine.
“When conservatives speak the truth, the mainstream media panics and desperately attempts to provide cover for the left. They did this for Alexander Vindman, just like they did for Hunter Biden, Dr. Fauci and teachers unions,” Blackburn said, referring to Vindman’s support from the media against Trump.
“Alexander Vindman has always been a political activist and opportunist masquerading behind his career. He saw an opening for personal fame and profited by exploiting the media’s outrage against President Trump,” she said.
Blackburn said that since going public with his allegations against Trump, “Vindman has spent the last three years on MSNBC and CNN attacking Republicans.”
“Now, new revelations suggest Vindman could be profiting off the war in Ukraine, just as he did by speaking out against the Trump administration,” Blackburn said.
The website Human Events last week claimed that through the company he heads, Vindman was trying to grab a $12 million contract for Ukraine to essentially serve as an in-country middleman between NATO and Ukrainian forces.
The report said there was a dispute over payments, but it was not clear if an agreement was reached or how much that agreement was worth.
On the day after the report, a since-deleted tweet appeared from Vindman, according to Breitbart.
“Thanks for the advert. I’m trying to get logistics in place to help Ukraine win the war and secure America. Looking for philanthropic contributions to get it going. Reach out if you support the cause of democracy and US National Security,” the tweet said.
A report in Politico said Vindman’s plan is to hire “100 to 200 experienced contractors” who would be embedded with Ukrainian front-line troops to teach Ukrainian soldiers how to repair equipment or do that for them.
“The biggest challenges are that the U.S. government currently is deeply reluctant to put defense contractors on the ground,” Vindman said. “That means that people are getting paid to repair stuff in Poland, but that doesn’t satisfy the warfighting capability of the Ukrainians. So this would be a kind of a policy change.”
Politico indicated a pilot project of the concept could take place this month.
When Fox News contacted Vindman, he focused more on Blackburn than her allegations against him.
“Ooh, Blackburn. She’s an idiot, an agent of chaos promoting disinformation. She has never said one true thing about me. Her attacks in 2019/20 contributed to an environment that made it impossible for me to continue my nonpartisan military service,” Vindman said.
“More importantly, it’s the politicization of Ukraine, by the fringe right, that brought about this war, imperiling Ukraine, Europe, and most importantly the U.S.,” he said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
