Using his anti-Trump credentials to buttress his case, a key witness in the 2019 impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is accused of seeking to make a substantial profit from the war in Ukraine.
Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn made the accusation against retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vintman.
Vindman positioned himself as a whistleblower attempting to safeguard government integrity when he disclosed information regarding a phone call between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and then testified against Trump during his impeachment.
Vindman’s most ardent detractors portrayed him as a self-centered malcontent.
Blackburn told Fox News that Vindman is still a “opportunist” who seeks to benefit from the conflict 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 reported last week that Vindman was attempting to secure a $12 million contract for Ukraine to basically function as an intermediary between NATO and Ukrainian military.
According to the article, there was a payment issue, but it was unclear whether an agreement was made or how much it was worth.
According to Breitbart, a since-deleted tweet from Vindman occurred the day following the article.
“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.
According to a source in Politico, Vindman intends to employ “100 to 200 experienced contractors” who will be integrated with Ukrainian front-line forces to train Ukrainian soldiers how to fix equipment or do it 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 reported that a trial run of the concept might occur this month.
When reached by Fox News, Vindman focused more on Blackburn’s charges than on his own.
“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.