Alexander Vindman
Alexander Vindman | |
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Олександр Віндман | |
Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) | |
Political party | Democratic[1] |
Spouse | Rachel Vindman |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Eugene Vindman (brother) |
Education | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1999–2020 |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Awards |
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Alexander Semyon Vindman
Commissioned in 1999 as an infantry officer, Vindman received a Purple Heart medal for wounds he received from an IED attack in the Iraq War in 2004.[7][8] Vindman became a foreign area officer specializing in Eurasia in 2008 and assumed the position of Director of European Affairs with the NSC in 2018. In July 2020, Vindman retired after 21 years in the military. He cited vengeful behavior and bullying by President Trump and administration officials after he complied with a subpoena to testify in front of Congress during Trump's impeachment hearings. At the time of his retirement, Vindman's promotion to the rank of colonel had been abnormally stalled by the administration.[9][10]
In February 2022, he unsuccessfully sued several Trump allies, alleging that they had intimidated and retaliated against him while he testified in Congress.[11][12][13]
Early life and education
Alexander Semyon Vindman (born Aleksandr Semyonovich Vindman) and his identical twin brother Yevgeny were born in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union, to a Jewish family.[8][14] After the death of their mother, the three-year-old twins and their older brother, Leonid, were brought to New York City in December 1979 by their father, Semyon (Simon). They grew up in the Brighton Beach neighborhood in Brooklyn. The twins appear briefly with their maternal grandmother in the Ken Burns documentary, The Statue of Liberty.[15][8][16] Vindman speaks Ukrainian and Russian fluently.[17] He graduated from Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School in 1993.[18]
In 1999, Vindman graduated from the
In 2020, Vindman was appointed as the first Pritzker Military Fellow of the Pritzker Military Foundation.[23] For two years, this fellowship supported Vindman's research, writing, and public discourse on subjects including national security, defense, civil-military relations, and public service.[24] Starting in 2023, Vindman took on roles as a Hauser Leader and Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership.[25][26]
Career
Vindman completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course (IOBC) at Fort Benning in 1999. The next year he was sent to South Korea, where he led an anti-armor platoons.[8] In addition to overseas assignments to South Korea and Germany, Vindman is a combat veteran of the Iraq War, having served in Iraq from September 2004 to September 2005.[7] In October 2004,[7] he sustained an injury from a roadside bomb in Iraq, for which he received a Purple Heart.[8] He was promoted to the rank of major in 2008,[27] and to lieutenant colonel in September 2015.[28]
During his Army career, Vindman earned the
National Security Council

In July 2018, Vindman accepted an assignment with the National Security Council.
Vindman was subpoenaed to testify before Congressional investigators on October 29, 2019, as part of the
On October 28, 2019, Vindman's opening statement to a closed session of the

Vindman stated additionally that he was concerned by two events, both of which he objected to with senior officials in real time, and which he reported to the National Security Council's lead attorney. The first event occurred at a July 10 meeting between Ukraine's then Secretary of National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Danylyuk, and then US National Security Advisor John Bolton, at which Ambassadors Volker and Sondland, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry were in attendance, and at which Sondland asked Ukraine to launch investigations into the Bidens in order to get a meeting with President Trump. Vindman states that Bolton cut the meeting short, and that both Vindman and Hill told Ambassador Sondland that his comments were inappropriate and reported their concerns to the lead counsel of the NSC.[35]
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The second event occurred on a July 25 telephone call between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy. Vindman states, "I was concerned by the 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. I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma, it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained. This would all undermine U.S. national security." Vindman also stated that he reported his concern to the NSC's lead counsel, John Eisenberg.[29]
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Vindman later testified in person before the US House of Representatives on November 19, 2019.[36] In his testimony, Vindman stated that he made a report to an intelligence official about what he heard during Trump's call with the Ukrainian president and felt what the president mentioned during the telephone conversation was "improper".[37][38] Because of his testimony, Vindman was denounced by Trump and repeatedly attacked by Republican lawmakers and television commentators. As a result, he reached out to the Army regarding his and his family's safety.[39]
In his opening statement, Vindman assured his father that he had made the right decision in emigrating from the Soviet Union to the United States. Vindman stated, "In Russia, my act of ... offering public testimony involving the President would surely cost me my life. I am grateful for my father's brave act of hope 40 years ago and for the privilege of being an American citizen and public servant, where I can live free of fear for mine [sic] and my family's safety. Dad, my sitting here today, in the U.S. Capitol talking to our elected officials is proof that you made the right decision forty years ago to leave the Soviet Union and come here to United States of America in search of a better life for our family. Do not worry, I will be fine for telling the truth."[40]
On February 7, 2020, Vindman told NSC colleagues he expected to leave the White House's National Security Council to return to the Department of Defense.[41] Trump had earlier implied he might remove Vindman from his post.[42] According to his attorney, later that day Vindman was escorted out of the White House. At the same time, his twin brother, Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Vindman, also was escorted off the White House grounds. Both had been slated for reassignment within the Army.[43] Subsequent news reports indicated that Vindman had been chosen to attend the in-residence course at the United States Army War College during its 2020–2021 session.[44]
On February 10, 2020, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent a letter in an apparent response to the removal of the two brothers that requested federal Inspectors General investigate possible retaliation against "anyone who has made, or in the future makes, protected disclosures of presidential misconduct".[45][46] On February 13, Trump's former chief of staff, retired Marine General John Kelly, defended Vindman's actions and testimony. "He did exactly what we teach them to do from cradle to grave. He went and told his boss what he just heard", Kelly said.[47]
During a panel discussion held on February 11, 2020, at the
Retirement and post-military career
On July 2, 2020, Senator Tammy Duckworth announced her intention to block Senate confirmation of more than one thousand military promotions unless defense secretary Mark Esper provided written confirmation that the Trump administration would not block Vindman's promotion to colonel.[50] Less than a week later, Vindman announced through his attorney that he would be retiring from the U.S. military. Vindman's attorney, David Pressman, described "a campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation" by the Trump administration as the reason for his client's retirement.[51][52][53] On August 1, 2020, Vindman authored an opinion piece in the Washington Post addressing his retirement.[54]
In 2021, Vindman published a memoir entitled Here, Right Matters that quickly became a New York Times bestseller.[55] In his memoir, Vindman elucidates his role as a primary witness in Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial. He accentuates that speaking out about the July 25 call between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not merely a decision, but a duty rooted in his citizenship and service in the armed forces.[55] In February 2022, Vindman filed a lawsuit alleging that the defendants disseminated false allegations about him, including claims that he was a spy for Ukraine, leaked classified data to damage his reputation, falsely charged him with perjury, and orchestrated the dismissal of both him and his twin brother Eugene from their positions at the White House.[56] The defendants in the lawsuit were Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, former White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, and former White House deputy communications director Julia Hahn.[11] On November 8, 2022, the lawsuit was dismissed by Federal Judge James E. Boasberg, noting that "political hackery alone" isn't a violation of the law.[56][12]
In November 2020, Vindman joined the staff of the national security blog
Following Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Vindman repeatedly expressed support for effectively countering Russian malign influence and Russia's military aggression by fully supporting Ukraine. He also conducted lectures on the Russo-Ukrainian War at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute,[60] the Ford School at the University of Michigan,[61] and the University of Alberta.[62]
In 2022, with Daniel Lubetzky, Alexander Vindman became the co-chair of the Global Democracy Ambassador Scholarship, which helps Ukrainian students who pursue their undergraduate degrees in the United States and abroad.[63] The objective of the scholarship is to help Ukrainians continue their studies and educate their global peers on the fragility and importance of democracy. The program granted $1 million to support an initial group of Ukrainian scholars.[64]
In March 2023, the Vindman brothers launched the project Trident Support, whose primary objective is to establish a weapon maintenance and training facility within Ukraine.[65] Through Trident Support, the Vindman brothers hope to recruit 100–200 skilled Western contractors to work alongside Ukrainian troops near the front lines in providing training on how to repair battle-damaged equipment donated by Western nations.[65] The goal of the project is to improve Ukraine’s defense capacity and accelerate the repair of military equipment so it no longer has to be taken from Ukraine to Poland or other NATO countries for major repairs.[65]
In 2021 and 2024, Vindman appeared in the 11th season finale, "The Mormon Advantage", and later the series finale, "No Lessons Learned", of Curb Your Enthusiasm.[66][67]
Vindman is a senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation, an American non-partisan research foundation.[68]
In a June 2025 Twitter post, Vindman referred to Secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem as a "fascist bitch" and told her to "fuck-off".[69]
Personal life
Vindman is married to Rachel Vindman, née Cartmill. The couple have one daughter, born in 2011.
His identical twin brother,
Military awards
At his retirement, Vindman received the
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Filmography
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2021, 2024 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Himself | Episodes: "The Mormon Advantage", "No Lessons Learned" |
Works
- Vindman, Alexander S. (August 3, 2021). Here, Right Matters: An American Story. Harper. OCLC 1261635035.
- Vindman, Alexander (February 25, 2025). The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine. New York: PublicAffairs. OCLC 1482617958.
See also
- First impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump
Notes
References
- ^ https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/trump-whistleblower-alexander-vindman-eyeing-florida-senate-run
- ^ "HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 571 Commending Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Semyon Vindman, USA, Ret".
- ^ "Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman on Having the Courage to Do the Right Thing". Daily Stoic. September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Volz, Dustin; Restuccia, Andrew; Hughes, Siobhan (October 29, 2019). "Parties Spar Over White House Aide in Combative Impeachment Hearing". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Alexander Vindman (February 2, 2023). "What Ukraine Needs to Liberate Crimea". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Two Virginia candidates for Congress say democracy is at stake. It's there the campaigns part ways". AP News. October 25, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rempfer, Kyle (October 29, 2019). "Purple Heart, Ranger tab, FAO: Meet the Army officer testifying about Trump's Ukraine". Army Times. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Wamsley, Laurel (July 8, 2020). "Vindman, Key Impeachment Witness, Retires Over 'Bullying, Intimidation' By Trump". NPR. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ "Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman retires, citing campaign of 'bullying' and 'retaliation' by Trump after impeachment testimony". The Washington Post. 2020.
- ^ a b Wang, Amy B (February 2, 2022). "Alexander Vindman sues Trump Jr. and Giuliani, alleging retaliation over first Trump impeachment proceedings". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ a b "Judge tosses Vindman's suit against Trump allies". Politico.
- ^ Kavi, Aishvarya (November 9, 2022). "Judge Dismisses Alexander Vindman's Lawsuit Against Trump Allies". The New York Times.
- ^ Shimron, Yonat (November 13, 2019). "Why are so many players in the impeachment trial Jewish?". Religion News Service.
In fact, Vindman, Parnas, and Fruman were able to immigrate to the U.S. precisely because they are Jewish.
- ^ Burns, Ken. "Arrival". PBS. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ Dolsten, Josefin (November 6, 2019). "A Jewish photographer has been capturing Alexander Vindman and his twin for nearly 4 decades". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ Hakim, Danny (October 29, 2019). "Army Officer Who Heard Trump's Ukraine Call Reported Concerns". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ Ramirez, Jeanine (November 19, 2019). "Before His Impeachment Testimony, a Lieutenant Colonel Was Raised in Brooklyn". NY1. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
Vindman graduated from FDR High School in Bensonhurst in 1993, then went on to SUNY Binghamton and the Army, earning a Purple Heart after a roadside bombing in Iraq.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Biography, Alexander Vindman (DIA '22)". SAIS Foreign Policy Institute. Washington, DC: Foreign Policy Institute. 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ Talkin' Politics and Religion Without Killin' Each Other (June 16, 2024). "Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman understands what's happening around the world and Why It Matters". Politicsandreligion.us. The Democracy Group. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "Event Details: Vindman 2022". Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Alexander Vindman Lands First Pritzker Military Foundation Fellowship". Pritzker Military Foundation. November 13, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Pritzker Military Foundation Awards Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman the First Pritzker Military Fellowship at the Lawfare Institute". Pritzker Military Foundation. November 13, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Alexander Vindman's Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Speaking Truth to Power: Leadership Lessons from Lt. Cr. Alexander Vindman". Harvard Kennedy School. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- Government Publishing Office. September 16, 2008. p. S8894. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- Government Publishing Office. September 8, 2015. p. S6471. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ a b c Kelly, Amita (October 28, 2019). "Ukraine Expert Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman's Opening Statement". NPR. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- National Archives.
- ^ "President Zelensky addresses heads of foreign delegations" (PDF). The Ukrainian Weekly. Vol. LXXXVII, no. 22. June 2, 2019. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ Cohen, Zachary; Tapper, Jake; LeBlanc, Paul (October 28, 2019). "White House Ukraine expert expected to testify about possible knowledge of Trump-Zelensky call". CNN. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ Andrews, Natalie; Tau, Byron (October 28, 2019). "House to Vote on a Road Map for Its Impeachment Inquiry". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ Jaffe, Greg (October 28, 2019). "White House official to tell impeachment investigators he feared President Trump's demands of Ukraine would undermine national security". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ "Read national security official Alexander S. Vindman's prepared remarks to Congress". NBC News. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ "Who is Alexander Vindman and why does his public testimony matter?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "Impeachment hearings: Live highlights from Alexander Vindman and Jennifer Williams' testimony". Politico. January 1, 1970. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman reveals in testimony that he told an intelligence official about Trump's call with Ukrainian leader". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ Browne, Ryan (November 19, 2019). "Alexander Vindman has reached out to Army about his family's safety amid attacks by Trump and GOP lawmakers". CNN. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ Collins, Kaitlan (February 7, 2020). "Key impeachment witness expects to leave White House post in coming weeks". CNN. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ Shesgreen, David Jackson and Deirdre. "Trump says 'not happy' with Vindman, confirms he might be removed from White House job". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Impeachment Witness Alexander Vindman Fired From the White House". The New York Times. February 7, 2020. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ Gitt, Tammie (February 10, 2020). "Lt. Col. Vindman is part of this summer's incoming U.S. Army War College class". The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pa. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Schumer calls on inspectors general to investigate retaliation against whistleblowers". CBS News. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- ^ "CNN: Brooke Baldwin: LTC Alex Vindman". CNN. February 19, 2019.
- ^ American Military News, "Gen. John Kelly: Vindman 'did exactly what we teach;' was right to testify in Trump impeachment" Feb 13, 2020 [1] Archived February 14, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Restuccia, Andrew (February 12, 2020). "Official Defends Vindman Removal". The Wall Street Journal. No. Page A6. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- ^ Brook, Tom Vanden (February 14, 2020). "Army Secretary: No investigation into Vindman, Army aide and impeachment witness fired by Trump". USA Today. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ "Sen. Duckworth says she will block over 1,100 military promotions until Pentagon protects impeachment witness Vindman". USA Today. July 3, 2020. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Missy; Harris, Shane (July 8, 2020). "Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman retires, citing campaign of 'bullying' and 'retaliation' by Trump after impeachment testimony". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ Wamsley, Laurel (July 8, 2020). "Lt. Col. Vindman, Witness In Trump Impeachment, Is Retiring From Military". NPR. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ Sciutto, Jim (July 8, 2020). "Exclusive: Vindman to retire from military. His lawyer blames White House 'campaign of bullying, intimidation and retaliation'". CNN. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ Vindman, Alexander, ""Alexander Vindman: Coming forward ended my career. I still believe doing what's right matters.", The Washington Post, August 1, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-0063079427.
- ^ a b Kavi, Aishvarya (November 9, 2022). "Judge Dismisses Alexander Vindman's Lawsuit Against Trump Allies". The New York Times. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Alexander Vindman Joins Lawfare Team". Lawfare. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Our Team". Renew Democracy Initiative. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Alexander Vindman's Experience". LinkedIn. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Event: Alexander Vindman on the Russia-Ukraine war". Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "War in Ukraine: One Year". Ford School at the University of Michigan. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Vindman at UAlberta". University of Alberta. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Global Democracy Ambassador Scholarship".
- ^ "José Andrés, Garry Kasparov, Daniel Lubetzky and Alexander Vindman Team up to Launch Ukrainian Scholarship Program and Student Ambassadorship for Global Democracy" (Press release).
- ^ a b c "Vindman leads new push to send military contractors to Ukraine". Politico. February 2, 2023.
- ^ Chavez, Danette (December 27, 2021). "A whistleblower brings an end to Curb Your Enthusiasm's 11th season". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ Reporter, Ewan Palmer News (December 27, 2021). "Alexander Vindman, Trump Whistleblower, Stars in 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'". Newsweek. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Alexander Vindman". Kettering Foundation. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ https://x.com/AVindman/status/1933267565649748029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
- ^ McBride, Jessica (October 29, 2019). "Alexander Vindman's Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ American Family. The Lincoln Project in collaboration with VoteVets. October 16, 2020. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Jacobs, Ben (October 16, 2020). "Alexander Vindman's Wife Accuses Trump of Threatening Their Family". Intelligencer of New York. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Siu, Benjamin (October 29, 2019). "Who is Alexander Vindman, the Army officer defying the White House to testify about Trump's Ukraine call?". ABC News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ Dan De Luce; Josh Lederman (March 16, 2021). "Army promotes Yevgeny Vindman, brother of impeachment witness". NBC News.
- ^ Rohrlich, Justin (May 18, 2022). "Trump Illegally Retaliated Against Yevgeny Vindman, DoD Watchdog Says". The Daily Beast.
- ISBN 978-0-0630-7944-1 – via Google Books.
- ^ Britzky, Haley (October 29, 2019). "Here's the military record of Lt. Col. Vindman, the soldier testifying at Trump's impeachment inquiry". Task & Purpose. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
External links
Media related to Alexander S. Vindman at Wikimedia Commons