AND THAT VIDEO WILL PROBABLY BE THE LAST TIME THAT DONALD TRUMP
EVER APPEARS BEFORE A CROWD THAT
HE CANNOT CONTROL.
WE BEGIN TONIGHT, OF COURSE,
WITH THE BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE
TESTIMONY OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL
ALEXANDER VINDMAN, WHO WILL
TESTIFY IN A CLOSED-DOOR
DEPOSITION TOMORROW, IN THE
IMPEACHMENT INVESTIGATION OF
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. NBC NEWS HAS OBTAINED A COPY OF
COLONEL VINDMAN’S OPENING
STATEMENT TOMORROW, IN WHICH HE
EXPLAINS THAT HE WAS LISTENING
TO DONALD TRUMP’S PHONE CALL
WITH THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE.
HE SAYS, "I WAS CONCERNED BY THE
CALL.
CALL. I DID NOT THINK IT WAS PROPER TO
DEMAND THAT A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT
INVESTIGATE A U.S. CITIZEN AND I
WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT’S SUPPORT OF UKRAINE.
FOLLOWING THE CALL, I AGAIN
REPORTED MEMBERSHIP CONCERNS TO
NSC’S LEAD COUNSEL," THAT WOULD
BE JOHN EISENBERG.
COLONEL VINDMAN STRESSES THAT HE
PERSONALLY HAS HAD NO DIRECT
CONTACT OR COMMUNICATION WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. AND HE ALSO SAYS HE IS NOT THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER.
WHISTLE-BLOWER. HE SAYS, "I WANT THE COMMITTEES
TO KNOW I AM NOT THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER WHO BROUGHT THIS
ISSUE TO THE CIA AND THE
COMMITTEES’ ATTENTION.
COMMITTEES’ ATTENTION. I DO NOT KNOW WHO THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER IS AND I WOULD
NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE TO
SPECULATE AS TO THE IDENTITY OF
THE WHISTLE-BLOWER."
THE WHISTLE-BLOWER." COLONEL VINDMAN BEGINS HIS
OPENING STATEMENT WITH SOME
BASIC BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.
HE SAYS, "I HAVE DEDICATED MY
ENTIRE PROFESSIONAL LIFE TO THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, IT
HAS BEEN MY HONOR TO SERVE AS AN
OFFICER IN THE UNITED STATES
ARMY.
ARMY. AS AN INFANTRY OFFICER, I SERVED
MULTIPLE OVERSEAS TOURS,
INCLUDING SOUTH KOREA AND
GERMANY, AND A DEPLOYMENT TO
IRAQ FOR COMBAT OPERATIONS.
IN IRAQ, I WAS WOUNDED IN AN IED
ATTACK AND AWARDED A PURPLE
HEART.
HEART. SINCE 2008, I HAVE BEEN A
FOREIGN AREA OFFICER,
SPECIALIZING IN EURASIA.
IN THIS ROLE, I HAVE SERVED IN
THE UNITED STATES’ EMBASSIES IN
KIEV, UKRAINE, AND MOSCOW,
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. IN JULY 2018, I WAS ASKED TO
SERVE AT THE NATIONAL SECURITY
COUNCIL.
COUNCIL. I SIT HERE AS A LIEUTENANT
COLONEL IN THE UNITED STATES
ARMY, AN IMMIGRANT.
MY FAMILY FLED THE SOVIET UNION
WHEN I WAS 3 1/2 YEARS OLD.
UPON ARRIVING IN NEW YORK CITY
IN 1979, MY FATHER WORKED
MULTIPLE JOBS TO SUPPORT US, ALL
THE WHILE LEARNING ENGLISH AT
NIGHT.
NIGHT. HE STRESSED TO US THE IMPORTANCE
OF FULLY INTEGRATING INTO OUR
ADOPTED COUNTRY.
ADOPTED COUNTRY. I HAVE A DEEP APPRECIATION FOR
AMERICAN VALUES AND IDEALS AND
THE POWER OF FREEDOM.
I AM A PATRIOT AND IT IS MY
SACRED DUTY AND HONOR TO ADVANCE
AND DEFEND OUR COUNTRY,
IRRESPECTIVE OF PARTY OR
POLITICS."
POLITICS." LEADING OUT OF OUR BREAKING NEWS
DISCUSSION TONIGHT FROM KIEV,
UKRAINE, IS NBC NEWS REPORTER,
JOSH LETTERMAN, NATIONAL
REPORTER FOR NBC NEWS.
ALSO JOINING US, FORMER
AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA, MICHAEL
McFAUL, WHO KNOWS LIEUTENANT
COLONEL VINDMAN.
COLONEL VINDMAN. EVELYN FARKAS.
EVELYN FARKAS. AND JONATHAN ALTER IS WITH US, A
COLUMNIST FOR THE DAILY BEAST.
AMBASSADOR McFAUL, LET ME START
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU. WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT
LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALEXANDER
VINDMAN?
VINDMAN? >> WELL, WE SERVED TOGETHER IN
MOSCOW.
MOSCOW. WHEN I WAS THE AMBASSADOR, HE
WAS PART OF THE MILITARY ATTACHE
THERE.
THERE. YOU READ A LOT OF IT ALREADY.
AND I WAS ALWAYS STRUCK, AS I
ALWAYS AM, THE PEOPLE THAT GO TO
SERVE OVERSEAS IN THOSE
EMBASSIES, ESPECIALLY THE
MILITARY ATTACHES -- ACTUALLY,
NOT ESPECIALLY -- ALL OF THEM.
THEY’RE THE BEST AND THE
BRIGHTEST, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
THE MOST COMMITTED TO THE CAUSE.
ANOTHER PIECE OF HIS BIOGRAPHY,
AS YOU READ, HE IS AN EMIGRANT
FROM THAT PART OF THE WORLD.
AND FROM MY EXPERIENCE, WORKING
IN THE GOVERNMENT, THERE’S
SOMETHING ABOUT THE EMIGRANTS
THAT JOIN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
AND SERVE IN THE MILITARY.
THEY ARE EVEN MORE COMMITTED TO
THE CAUSE.
THE CAUSE. YOU KNOW, HE’S A LAWYER PATRIOT.
I HAVE NO IDEA IF HE’S A
DEMOCRAT OR A REPUBLICAN.
AND THERE WOULD BE NO REASON
THAT THAT WOULD EVER COME UP.
AND ANOTHER THING.
I ALSO WORKED AT THE WHITE
HOUSE, I WANT TO UNDERSCORE.
I WAS SENIOR DIRECTOR THERE FOR
THREE YEARS.
THREE YEARS. AND I HAD PEOPLE LIKE COLONEL
VINDMAN THAT WORKED FOR ME.
REMEMBER, THEY’RE ALSO THE BEST
AND THE BRIGHTEST THAT GET
DETAILED TO WORK AT THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNCIL.
SECURITY COUNCIL. HE IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THOSE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> JOSH LETTERMAN, IN UKRAINE
TONIGHT, WE WERE GOING TO LEAD
THIS HOUR WITH YOUR REPORTING
FROM UKRAINE, WHICH REVEALS THAT
THE WHITE HOUSE -- PEOPLE IN THE
WHITE HOUSE, IN JOSH BOLTEN’S
ARENA OF THE WHITE HOUSE, KNEW
ABOUT THE PRESSURE THAT RUDY
GIULIANI WAS PUTTING ON UKRAINE
EARLIER THAN WE THOUGHT, IN MAY.
HOW IS COLONEL VINDMAN’S
STATEMENT TONIGHT LINKING UP
WITH YOUR REPORTING?
>> Reporter: I GOT TO TELL YOU
SOMETHING THAT REALLY JUMPED OUT
TO ME IN READING THAT STATEMENT
TONIGHT, LAWRENCE, WAS THE FACT
THAT HE SAYS THAT HE BEGAN TO
UNDERSTAND AS EARLY AS THE
SPRING THAT WHAT HE DESCRIBED AS
OUTSIDE INFLUENCERS WERE GETTING
INVOLVED IN UKRAINE POLICY IN A
WAY THAT WAS CONTRARY TO U.S.
NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS.
THAT LINKS UP VERY WELL WITH
WHAT WE ARE REPORTING AT NBC
NEWS TONIGHT, WHICH IS THAT AS
EARLY AS MID-MAY, LONG BEFORE
HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN KNOWN, FIONA
HILL, A TOP OFFICIAL AT THE
WHITE HOUSE HAD BEEN NOTIFIED
THAT PRESIDENT ZELENSKY JUST
BARELY TAKING OFFICE AS THE NEW
PRESIDENT HERE IN UKRAINE, WAS
CONCERNED AND RATTLED BY THIS
PRESSURE CAMPAIGN FROM RUDY
GIULIANI AND AMBASSADOR
SONDLAND.
SONDLAND. SO WE’RE GETTING A MUCH BIGGER
AND BROADER PICTURE, CONSISTENT
FROM MULTIPLE PEOPLE WHO ARE
COMING FORWARD, DESCRIBING A
PRESSURE CAMPAIGN THAT STARTED
EARLY AND THAT WAS CLEAR TO THE
UKRAINIANS THAT THEY WERE GOING
TO HAVE TO DO WHAT RUDY GIULIANI
WANTED IF THEY WERE GOING TO
HAVE THE TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE UNITED STATES THAT THEY
WERE TO BE SEEKING.
>> EVELYN FARKAS, COLONEL
VINDMAN SAYS HE’S NOT THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER, DOESN’T KNOW WHO
THE WHISTLE-BLOWER IS, BUT IT IS
POSSIBLE THAT COLONEL VINDMAN
MIGHT BE ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO
SHARED HIS CONCERNS ABOUT THE
SITUATION WITH THE PERSON WHO
TURNED OUT THAT DECIDED TO
BECOME THE WHISTLE-BLOWER.
>> IT SOUNDS HIGHLY LIKELY,
LAWRENCE, BECAUSE HE IS
DESCRIBING EXACTLY WHAT
HAPPENED -- HE DESCRIBES THAT HE
HEARD THE PHONE CALL, HE WAS
ALARMED, HE SPOKE TO PEOPLE
ABOUT HIS ALARM, HE LIKELY SPOKE
TO THE WHISTLE-BLOWER.
HE PROBABLY HAS A SENSE OF WHO
THE WHISTLE-BLOWER IS, BUT
DOESN’T WANT TO PUT THAT PERSON
IN JEOPARDY BY REVEALING
ANYTHING ABOUT THEM.
BUT HE EXPRESSED HIS
CONSTERNATION.
CONSTERNATION. IT’S A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE.
THESE ARE ALL EXPERTS WHO WORK
VERY HARD, YOU KNOW, AS
AMBASSADOR McFALL JUST SAID.
THEY WORK VERY HARD TO HELP THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED
STATES AND UKRAINE.
AND IN THE CASE OF UKRAINE,
BECAUSE IT’S SO PIVOTAL TO
STANDING UP AGAINST RUSSIA, WE
FOCUS REALLY AND PUT A LOT OF
HEART IN IT, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT
UKRAINIAN AMERICAN, BUT OF
COURSE, THAT WAS A SPECIAL
ELEMENT THAT HE HAD.
YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING ABOUT
HIM, I THINK, AS A MILITARY
OFFICER, HE STRESSES OVER AND
OVER AGAIN, THIS DUTY THAT HE
HAS TO SPEAK OUT AND REPORT UP
THE CHAIN, IF HE SEES SOMETHING
AWRY.
AWRY. AND IT’S SOMETHING THAT WE DON’T
DRILL INTO CIVILIANS REGULARLY.
BUT IN THE MILITARY, YOU’RE NOT
REALLY REQUIRED OR YOU’RE NOT
EXPECTED TO RESIGN, YOU’RE
EXPECTED TO FOLLOW ORDERS, BUT
YOU’RE ALSO EXPECTED TO SPEAK
OUT AND EVALUATE CONCERNS UP THE
CHAIN.
CHAIN. >> JONATHAN ALTER, IT SEEMS LIKE
EVERY OTHER DAY, THERE IS A NEW
NAME, A NEW NAME WHO SUDDENLY
BECOMES THE MOST IMPORTANT NAME
SO FAR.
SO FAR. AND COLONEL VINDMAN IS THE FIRST
PERSON TO TESTIFY, WHO HEARD THE
PHONE CALL.
PHONE CALL. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AND YOU KNOW, HISTORY IS GOING
TO LOOK BACK ON THIS AS PART OF
WHAT I CALL THE PATRIOTIC SURGE.
IT’S NOW NO LONGER, YOU KNOW,
JUST ONE OR TWO AMBASSADORS.
YOU NOW HAVE MORE THAN HALF A
DOZEN PATRIOTIC AMERICANS COMING
FORWARD
FORWARD FORWARD, DOING THEIR
CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY.
CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY. THESE ARE OUR HEROS NOW AND I
THINK THEY WILL BE SEEN AS SUCH,
WHEN THE HISTORY OF IMPEACHMENT
IS WRITTEN.
IS WRITTEN. AND IN THIS CASE, YOU HAVE
SOMEBODY WHO WAS NOT ONLY ON THE
CALL, BUT WAS IN THE MILITARY,
YOU KNOW.
YOU KNOW. AMBASSADOR TAYLOR WAS IN
VIETNAM.
VIETNAM. HE WAS IN IRAQ AND HE GOT A
PURPLE HEART, VINDMAN DID, AFTER
BEING WOUNDED IN IRAQ.
IT’S GOING TO BE VERY HARD FOR
DONALD TRUMP TO RIP HIM APART,
WHEN HE TESTIFIES IN PUBLIC,
WHICH IS COMING, IF NOT NEXT
WEEK, THEN THE WEEK AFTER.
>> AND AMBASSADOR TAYLOR DID
TESTIFY TO SOME THINGS THAT WERE
DIRECT EVIDENCE, CONVERSATION
THAT HE PARTICIPATED IN.
BUT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HIS
TESTIMONY WAS HEARSAY.
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MOST OF THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER’S COMPLAINT IS
WHAT YOU WOULD CALL HEARSAY.
MANY REPUBLICANS LIKE LINDSEY
GRAHAM HAVE BEEN DISMISSING THAT
KIND OF EVIDENCE AS HEARSAY.
BUT COLONEL VINDMAN IS NOT A
HEARSAY WITNESS.
HEARSAY WITNESS. HE LITERALLY WAS ON THE PHONE
CALL AND HE ALSO HAD HIS OWN
DIRECT CONVERSATIONS WITH GORDON
SONDLAND.
SONDLAND. GORDON SONDLAND IS NOW THE
PERSON IN MOST JEOPARDY IN TERMS
OF WHAT’S HAPPENED IN THE
INVESTIGATION, IN THE COMMITTEE
SO FAR.
SO FAR. HE IS THE ONE PERSON WHO MAY BE
CLOSE TO A PERJURY CHARGE.
AND COLONEL VINDMAN’S OPENING
STATEMENT SAYS, AMBASSADOR
SONDLAND STARTED TO SPEAK ABOUT
UKRAINE, DELIVERING SPECIFIC
INVESTIGATIONS IN ORDER TO
SECURE THE MEETING WITH THE
PRESIDENT, AT WHICH TIME
AMBASSADOR BOLTON CUT THE
MEETING SHORT.
MEETING SHORT. THAT WAS A MEETING WITH
UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS. FOLLOWING THIS MEETING, THERE
WAS A SCHEDULED DEBRIEFING
DURING WHICH AMBASSADOR SONDLAND
EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE THAT
UKRAINE DELIVER THE
INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE 2016
ELECTION, THE BIDENS AND
BURISMA.
BURISMA. I STATED TO AMBASSADOR SONDLAND
THAT HIS STATEMENTS WERE
INAPPROPRIATE, THAT THE REQUEST
TO INVESTIGATE BIDEN AND HIS SON
HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH NATIONAL
SECURITY, AND THAT SUCH
INVESTIGATIONS WERE NOT
SOMETHING THE NSC WAS GOING TO
GET INVOLVED IN OR PUSHED.
DR. FIONA HILL THEN ENTERED THE
ROOM AND ASSERTED TO AMBASSADOR
SONDLAND THAT HIS STATEMENTS
WERE INAPPROPRIATE.
WERE INAPPROPRIATE. FOLLOWING THE DEBRIEFING
MEETING, I REPORTED MY CONCERNS
TO THE NSC’S LEAD COUNSEL.
DR. HILL ALSO REPORTED THE
INCIDENT TO THE NSC’S LEAD
COUNSEL.
COUNSEL. AND AMBASSADOR McFALL, THIS IS
THE KIND OF SCENE THAT I’M SURE
DOES NOT SURPRISE YOU AT ALL,
EXCEPT FOR THE SONDLAND PART.
BUT THE PART WHERE THE
PROFESSIONALS STAND UP TO THIS,
IN EFFECT, TOURIST AMBASSADOR.
THIS RICH GUY WHO BOUGHT HIS
AMBASSADORSHIP BASED ON NO
EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER, THAT’S
WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT THEM TO DO
WITH AN AMATEUR LIKE THAT.
>> YEAH, WELL, NORMALLY,
PROFESSIONALS LIKE COLONEL
VINDMAN WOULD NEVER EVEN
INTERACT WITH THOSE KIND OF
AMBASSADORS.
AMBASSADORS. REMEMBER, SONDLAND HAD NOTHING
TO DO WITH UKRAINE POLICY.
HE BOUGHT HIS POSITION TO BE THE
AMBASSADOR TO THE EUROPEAN
UNION.
UNION. AND REMEMBER, AT THE TIME, WHEN
HE’S WORKING AT THE NSC, HIS JOB
IS TO BE THE POINT PERSON FOR
THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT AT HIS
LEVEL FOR UKRAINE, RIGHT?
SO HE IS REPORTING TO FIONA --
FIONA HILL, THE SENIOR DIRECTOR.
HE’S THE DIRECTOR FOR UKRAINE.
SO HE HAS PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY
FOR COORDINATING THE ENTIRE
POLICY.
POLICY. ANDHAT’S WHY HE’S SO UPSET
WHEN HE SEES THIS, AS HIS BOSS
CALLED IT, DRUG DEAL HAPPENING
IN PARALLEL.
IN PARALLEL. AND WHAT YOU READ, LAWRENCE,
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PATRIOT TO
ME.
ME. I CHALLENGE ANYONE TO GO AFTER
COLONEL VIND LAN, THE WAY THEY
THE WITH AMBASSADOR TAYLOR, WHEN
THEY CALLED HIM A RADICAL
UNELECTED PATRIOT EDED BUREAUCRA
>> AND BECAUSE HE’S ALSO AN
IMMIGRANT, WE CAN EXPECT DONALD
TRUMP TO ACCUSE HIM OF BEING
BIAS, IN FAVOR OF UKRAINE.
AND JOSH LETTERMAN, COLONEL VIND
LAN
LAN LAN IS VERY WELL KNOWN IN
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. HE SPEAKS THE LANGUAGE.
HE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS HIS OWN
REAL EXPERIENCE THERE.
AND HE’S SOMEONE WHO I ASSUME
THE GOVERNMENT AND UKRAINE HAS
DEALT WITH EXTENSIVELY.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
SO HE WAS A FOREIGN AREA EXPERT,
WHICH MEANS THAT EVEN THOUGH HE
SERVED IN SOME DIFFERENT
CAPACITIES, HE’S CURRENTLY
DETAILED TO THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNCIL.
SECURITY COUNCIL. HE’S BEEN FOCUSED ON THIS REGION
FOR QUITE A WHILE.
HE HAD SERVED HERE IN KIEV AS
WELL AS OTHER PARTS OF THE
BROADER REGION.
BROADER REGION. SO HE WAS WELL KNOWN TO PEOPLE
HERE.
HERE. HAD A LEVEL OF TRUST.
THEY KNEW WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE
STOOD FOR.
STOOD FOR. THE FACT THAT HE WAS SOMEONE WHO
ALSO HAD ANCESTRY HERE.
AND HE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD
ADDED CREDIBILITY AS A RESULT OF
THE FACT THAT HE’S A REAL EXPERT
IN HIS AREA.
NOT SOMEONE LIKE AMBASSADOR
SLOOND
SLOOND SONDLAND WHO CAME IN AND SEEMED
TO BE ACTING OUT OF POLITICAL
INTERESTS.
INTERESTS. >> EVELYN FARKAS, THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNSEL’S LAWYER IS NOW
IS A VERY SHARP FOCUS OF THIS
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. WHENEVER SOMETHING LIKE THIS
HAPPENS, THE PROFESSIONALS
IMMEDIATELY REPORT IT TO THE
NSC’S COUNSEL.
NSC’S COUNSEL. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. AND SO NOW THE QUESTION IS, WHAT
DID THAT COUNSEL DO WITH THE
INFORMATION AND WHAT WAS THE
CONVERSATION LIKE BETWEEN
AMBASSADOR BOLTON, THE NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER, AND THE LAWYER
FOR THE NATIONAL SECURITY
COUNSEL?
COUNSEL? THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ABOUT WHAT THE LAWYER’S
INVOLVEMENT WAS IN BASICALLY
TAKING PHONE TRANSCRIPTS AND
PUTTING THEM ON TO THE VERY
SECRET COMPUTERS, WHICH YOU’VE
TALKED ABOUT IN OTHER PROGRAMS.
THIS LAWYER IS ALSO POTENTIALLY,
I WOULD SAY, IN SOME JEOPARDY.
SO HE CAN JOIN AMBASSADOR
SONDLAND IN THAT ARENA.
BUT CERTAINLY, SONDLAND, OF
COURSE, IS IN A BIT OF TROUBLE,
BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE HE MAY
HAVE MISLED CONGRESS WHEN HE
WENT UP TO TESTIFY.
>> AND JONATHAN ALTER, TO STRESS
TO THE AUDIENCE, SINCE THE
REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN LYING
ABOUT THIS, TOMORROW’S
DEPOSITION IS -- THERE’S 48
REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE
WHO HAVE A RIGHT TO BE IN THAT
DEPOSITION, LISTEN TO EVER WORD,
AND ASK EVERY QUESTION THEY
MIGHT WANT TO ASK OF COLONEL
VINDMAN.
VINDMAN. THERE ARE REPUBLICAN STAFF
MEMBERS IN THAT ROOM.
AND SO THIS IS THEIR CHANCE TO
TALK -- THEIR FIRST CHANCE, TO
TALK TO SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY
LISTENED TO THE TRUMP PHONE
CALL.
CALL. >> AND I DON’T THINK THEY’RE
GOING TO DO ANYTHING TO KNOCK
HIM DOWN.
HIM DOWN. THERE’S NO INDICATION THAT THE
REPUBLICANS HAVE LAID A GLOVE ON
ANY OF THESE OTHER PEOPLE BEING
DEPOSED.
DEPOSED. THEY KNOW THAT THEIR PRESIDENT
IS IN A PICKLE.
AND WHAT EVENTUALLY A LOT OF
THEM ARE GOING TO DO IS JUST
SAY, WELL, THIS DOESN’T RISE TO
THE LEVEL OF IMPEACHMENT.
THEY’RE NOT EVEN GOING TO TRY TO
CONTEST THE FACTS, WHICH ARE NOW
VERY CLEAR.
VERY CLEAR. THE PROBLEM WITH THE ARGUMENT
THAT IS EMERGING, THAT THIS
DOESN’T RISE TO THE LEVEL OF
IMPEACHMENT, IS THAT IT HAS NOW
BECOME A NATIONAL SECURITY
ISSUE.
ISSUE. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT COLONEL VINDMAN DOES, IS HE
LINKS UP WHY THIS IS RELATED TO
OUR NATIONAL SECURITY.
AND THE REASON IS, THE REASON
THAT UKRAINE DID NOT WANT TO BE
PUT IN THIS POSITION IS THAT IF
THEIR AID WAS POLITICIZED, IF IT
BECAME A DEMOCRAT VERSUS
REPUBLICAN THING, BECAUSE, SAY,
THE DEMOCRATS THOUGHT, WELL, YOU
KNOW, UKRAINE IS INVESTIGATING
JOE BIDEN ON A BOGUS CHARGE,
THEN IT WOULD BE LESS LIKELY
THAT THEY WOULD GET AID IN THE
FUTURE.
FUTURE. LESS LIKELY THAT THEY WOULD BE
ABLE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES
AGAINST RUSSIA.
AGAINST RUSSIA. THAT IS VERY MUCH IN OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS.
THAT’S WHY WE’RE GIVING THEM