Teresa Hanafin, who writes the daily Fast Forward for the Boston Globe, describes a new whistleblower and the GOP-FOX effort to smear him.
There’s a major development in the House’s impeachment inquiry today:The first deposition from someone who listened in on that infamous July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — the one in which Trump pushed Zelensky to investigate Trump’s domestic political rivals.
Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman, a decorated Iraq War veteran (Purple Heart) who is the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, is expected to tell the impeachment committees that he was so disturbed by Trump’s arm-twisting that he twice registered his concerns with his superiors.
“I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a US citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the US government’s support of Ukraine,” Vindman says in his opening statement, copies of which were obtained by several news organizations. “This would all undermine US national security.”
Vindman’s testimony is remarkable because he still is employed in the White House, on the National Security Council.
He’ll tell lawmakers that he’s not the whistleblower. But he will confirm details already outlined by other witnesses, including his former boss, Fiona Hill, who stepped down in August as the NSC’s senior director for European and Russian Affairs, and William Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine.
Vindman twice registered his concerns with John Eisenberg, the top lawyer at the NSC: The first time was on July 10 after a meeting between senior US and Ukrainian officials where EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland urged Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals. That angered Hill and John Bolton, then Trump’s national security adviser, who told Sondland that efforts to politicize the relationship with Ukraine were inappropriate. His second approach to Eisenberg was after the Trump-Zelensky phone call.
But the campaign to dirty up Vindman has already started, a cooperative effort between the GOP and Fox News to cast doubt on his loyalty and patriotism. They are peddling the narrative that because Vindman was born in Ukraine, he must be engaged in espionage, working against Trump’s interests.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
When I lived in Uithoorn, Holland, one of our neighbors was captured by the Germans and was put in a camp where he was “forced LABOR.” He told us he was near starvation when the Americans liberated Holland and for that he is always GRATEFUL. His stories of being captured and put in a LABOR CAMP run by Nazi Germany was just so SAD and horrifying.
In retrospect, I wish I had done a formal interview with my Dutch neighbor about this horrific time in his life.
I just finished reading a picture book entitled, “Miep and the Most Famous Diary: The Woman who Rescued Anne Frank’s Diary” by Meeg Pincus and illustrated by Jordi Solano.
We cannot let history repeat itself re: what’s happening NOW.
Trump is a traitorous LIAR who’s lining his pockets and he works for Putin, not the American people.
Does anyone doubt this statement? If Trump knew he could get away with it he would gladly usher anyone who he doesn’t like into the gas chambers. He has absolutely no sense of right or wrong, except that to him, “right” is what Trump wants to do.
And we have a Republican Party who would let him shoot someone on Fifth Avenue. Or allow him to do something much, much worse.
As “The Resistance” would do to him. “Nothing is so contagious as example; and we never do any great good or evil which does not produce its like.” ~ Francois de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)
“As “The Resistance” would do to him.” I have no idea what this means. “The Resistance” believes in the rule of law which is why they are opposing Trump and why the impeachment proceedings are happening slowly.
“The Resistance” would act corruptly like the Republican Party which clearly is fine with any behavior if a Republican does it.
EWM, do you have a theory — or can you come up with a quote – as to why Republicans have to lie and break laws in order to win? That happened because they were led by corrupt and greedy leaders, while the Democrats respected the Constitution. The Republicans seem to model themselves after Putin’s Russia, as I’m sure you will agree!
^^^typo: The Resistance would NOT act corruptly like the Republican Party…
The Republicans really do have no shame.
Trump did say that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would be fine with it. That’s why it is so important that the Democrats impeach him now, even if it costs them votes. It’s the right thing to do. Trump is like a spoiled child who gets away with harming other children because his parents (the Republicans) always defend him and enable him. It is past time for every American who values the Constitution to support impeachment and not care about politics.
Swift Boating the Sequel is running on State TV. Worked to dirty up Vietnam Nam veteran John Kerry who was running vs George W Bush.
Karl Rove should be getting residuals. Same with Bush/Cheney confederate John Yoo, of torture memo fame. He’s already attacked Vindman.
I just read from the NYT that ASV was three years old when his family fled Ukraine with their father and grandmother, Jewish refugees. Since long term memory doesn’t develop until three, that means most if not all of the life he remembers is growing up in the United States. He is Ameican through and through. ASV is more of an American than Donald Trump who has NO loyalty to the country he was born in.
40 years later, he is a scholar, diplomat, decorated lieutenant colonel in the United States Army and Harvard-educated Ukraine expert on the White House National Security Council.
Now the totally corrupt in every way GOP and their fascist lying, misleading propaganda machine Faux News is churning our lies to destroy ASV’s life because what he witnessed first hand is threatening the Emperor of Lies, the totally corrupt psychopath, and malignant narcissist Donald Trump, the first (and hopefully last) illegitimate President of the United States, thanks to Russia.
Honk your horn or raise your right hand above your head to indicate that you are aware that the day Trump ordered our U.S. troops (not his since DT’s are Russian) out of Syria was also Putin’s birthday.
Vindman served our country under fire. Trump had Bone spurs and dodged the draft.
It’s John Yoo the Republicans have trotted out to attack Vindman!
John Yoo of the Bush II torture memo.
GOP whistling in the dark
A panelist (John Yoo, who wrote memos justifying the use of torture in Iraq) on the Laura Ingraham show last night suggested that Lt Col Vindman was an espionage agent.
This is the new attack line. This veteran with a Purple Heart for his service under fire in Iraq is a traitor.
That panelist was John Yoo, Torture Memo Guy.
Yoo also thinks the Senate should change its rules on impeachment, as of October 2, 2019:
“The Constitution gives the Senate flexibility on whether and how to hold an impeachment trial.
Now that the House has launched an impeachment probe of President Donald Trump, the Senate should reform its antiquated rules for the looming trial. Under current procedures, a trial produces the worst of both worlds. If the House has a flimsy case, the Senate must still put the country through the wrenching, divisive political spectacle without any opportunity to dismiss the case. But if the House has a strong case, senators must sit silently by without any chance to participate directly in the trial. Allowing a real trial will improve the decision-making over whether to fire Trump and will make the Congress more responsive and accountable to the American people.”
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/10/the-senate-should-change-its-rules-on-impeachment/
I still think they’re whistling in the dark. Standard chess moves: focus on process not charge, & smear the witnesses. The case is prima facie. Only choice: whether to impeach, or say ‘We’re OK with this,’ which even dotard-kissers may realize has future implications that can be used against them – which way they go will depend on public sentiment.
Of course he’s working against Trumps interests. He’s a patriot and patriots work in the United States interests.