Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), as well as a number of users on Twitter, ripped the New York Times on Tuesday for spreading fake news regarding the actions of the Democrats’ star impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.
“Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman became so concerned during a July 25 phone call in which President Trump asked Ukraine’s president for help with political investigations that he reported his alarm to a superior,” the New York Times tweeted on Tuesday. “Here’s what to know”:
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman became so concerned during a July 25 phone call in which President Trump asked Ukraine’s president for help with political investigations that he reported his alarm to a superior. Here’s what to know. https://t.co/4XPqEXKZHX
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) November 19, 2019
However, the Times’ summary is grossly inaccurate, as Vindman “never raised his concerns with his immediate supervisor,” as Breitbart News reported:
Vindman never raised his concerns with his immediate supervisor. He also contradicted the commander-in-chief: while Trump had made a request of the Ukrainian president, Vindman admitted — proudly, it seems — that he had advised the Ukrainians to ignore it as an unwelcome intrusion into U.S. politics. Vindman also admitted he did no research of his own on Burisma to find out what Trump and Zelensky might have been talking about, and whether Trump’s concerns might have had merit (indeed, the issue had been flagged by concerned officials even during the Obama administration).
Zeldin responded to the Times’ tweet, noting its lack of accuracy.
“This Tweet from @nytpolitics is just not accurate,” he wrote. “Actually LTC Vindman didn’t state his concerns about the 7/25 call to his superior Tim Morrison or anyone up the Vindman/Morrison Chain of Command.”
“Although it does appear one of the people Vindman spoke to was the whistleblower,” he added:
This Tweet from @nytpolitics is just not accurate. Actually LTC Vindman didn’t state his concerns about the 7/25 call to his superior Tim Morrison or anyone up the Vindman/Morrison Chain of Command. Although it does appear one of the people Vindman spoke to was the whistleblower. https://t.co/jvXDLHhypq
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) November 19, 2019
Many Twitter users also ripped the Times over its inaccurate assessment.
“Not according to his testimony, will you correct??” one user asked. “JK I know you won’t.”
“His story keeps changing. An honorable news outlet would notice that,” another added.
“He didn’t. His superior testified that Vindman did not follow chain of command and did not notify him,” one noted.
“That’s not even mildly true. His own superior testified that was false. At least try to follow along,” another remarked.
Former National Security Council official Tim Morrison, who is expected to appear before the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday afternoon and previously testified that nothing improper occurred on the July 25 phone call, has “cast doubt on the credibility of testimony by Lt. Col Alexander Vindman” and questioned his judgment, as extensively detailed by Breitbart News:
Morrison contradicted Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the Democrats’ star witness in the closed-door hearings, who reported to Morrison directly. Morrison testified that while he admired his subordinate’s patriotism, he was irritated that Vindman failed to report concerns about the call directly to him. He said Vindman never raised concerns that something illegal had happened. He also said he accepted all of Vindman’s proposed edits to the call record, contrary to Vindman’s testimony. And while he did not think that Vindman was a leaker, he testified: “I had concerns that he did not exercise appropriate judgment as to whom he would say what.” He said that Vindman’s sloppy practices were partly the result of his own predecessor at the NSC, Dr. Fiona Hill — another one of the Democrats’ star witnesses, who, like Morrison, is due to testify publicly this week.
Testimony of Tim Morrison released yesterday shows NSC staff, including his former boss Fiona Hill, didn't trust the judgment of Alexander Vindman and worried he was improperly accessing documents. pic.twitter.com/BgFFDQ78LO
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) November 17, 2019
Here's what Tim Morrison, Vindman's direct superior, testified about Vindman's lack of respect for the chain of command and Vindman's failure to report to his boss concerns about the appropriateness of the July 25 call.
Vindman is not being truthful about his behavior. pic.twitter.com/cmiWeS4Xzk
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) November 19, 2019
Vindman's direct boss testified that Vindman had a history — his boss called it an "unfortunate habit" — of ignoring the chain of command and leaking when he didn't get his way. https://t.co/ejmr0PV1rs
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) November 19, 2019
Vindman touting chain of command but he went to his brother instead of his own boss. #StopTheSchiffShow
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) November 19, 2019
GOP WI Sen Johnson on Vindman & bureaucrats: If they are unable to carry out the policy of the president, they should resign. They should not seek to undermine the policy by leaking to people outside their chain of command.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 18, 2019
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