Lee Zeldin Accuses Lt. Col. Vindman of a Crime After he Claims “Patriotism Cost Him His Career”

We recently published a story about Senator Tammy Duckworth, who has been in the headlines for multiple things lately, including attempting to do what some may consider to be extortion, to get Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman promoted.

This was after President Trump relieved him of his position and had him reassigned in lieu of his anti-Trump testimony during the whistleblower hearings. We previously reported in part:

A Democrat Senator from Illinois is reportedly up to some dirty tricks. Tammy Duckworth made claims yesterday that she is planning to block 1,123 senior military officer’s promotions until Defense Secretary Esper gives Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman a promotion, months after he was removed from his post for alleged bias against President Trump during the ‘whistleblower’ testimony.

Duckworth believes Vindman received retaliation from President Trump and is using very unorthodox means to try and get Vindman a promotion through Trump’s own defense secretary.

Apparently Vindman decided to quit his post altogether though and is being ‘martyred’ by many prominent figures on the left. The U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) hit back hard today, with some very harsh accusations. He claims that Vindman was offered a promotion, but chose to end his career anyway.

He also is claiming that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman perjured himself under oath, thus committing a crime. These are very strong accusations and it will be interesting to see if any of them manifest into charges. Zeldin retweeted Kyle Cheney’s pic of Vindman’s full statement, captioning it:

“Vindman is trying to declare himself a martyr. Couple issues: (1) He declared “his patriotism cost him his career”, but he was just selected for PROMOTION. He chose to end his own career. (2) He perjured himself under oath about his role sourcing the whistleblower. That’s a crime”

See tweet:

Vindman is trying to declare himself a martyr. Couple issues: (1) He declared “his patriotism cost him his career”, but he was just selected for PROMOTION. He chose to end his own career. (2) He perjured himself under oath about his role sourcing the whistleblower. That’s a crime https://t.co/sCCSDnVF9S

— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) July 8, 2020

CNN reported in part:

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key witness in President Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry, is retiring from the US Army after more than 21 years of military service because he determined that his future in the armed forces “will forever be limited” due to political retaliation by the President and his allies, his lawyer told CNN Wednesday.

Vindman has endured a “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation” spearheaded by the President following his testimony in the impeachment inquiry last year, according to his attorney, Amb. David Pressman who is a partner at Jenner & Block.

News of Vindman’s retirement marks the culmination of a months-long saga dating back to his public testimony in November.

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) tweeted a letter about the situation, lamenting President Trump’s action regarding Vindman and praising the Lt. Col. as well:

“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.”

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

U.S. House Rep Val Demings (D-FL) tweeted two dramatic statements in a row about Vindman. It’s no surprise which side she took considering she argued for hours during the impeachment of President Trump as to why he needed to be removed from his position as commander in chief. Time will tell what happens next in the wake of these dramatic theatrics. See Demings tweets:

Lt. Col. Vindman said in his testimony that in America, “right matters.” I call on all of us to keep fighting for that America. https://t.co/2Bl4lLS1P7

— Rep. Val Demings (@RepValDemings) July 8, 2020