On Sunday evening there were multiple reports that Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was fired from his post at the National Security Council in retribution for his testimony in the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, but those reports were completely false, and according to Vindman’s lawyer, Vindman expects to serve out the remainder of his time there.
“He is still there,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham also confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
Multiple reports Sunday claimed Vindman, who gave sworn testimony for the House impeachment effort against President Trump, would be removed from the National Security Council.
These reports hinged on a Face the Nation interview on CBS in which national security adviser Robert O’Brien was asked if Vindman would remain on the National Security Council after testifying against the president. O’Brien said, “Everyone who’s detailed at the NSC, people are going … back to their own departments, and we’ll bring in new folks.”
Afterward, the Twitter account for Face the Nation blared, “VINDMAN OUT AT NSC: After testifying on the Hill, NSA O’Brien says Alexander Vindman will be removed from the National Security Council.” Other outlets followed suit with similar reports, and verified Twitter users with hundreds of thousands of followers announced that Vindman had been fired.
Despite the corrections, many on social media, on both sides of the aisle, seem to still be under the impression Vindman was actually fired. This is reminiscent of social media outrage over speculation that Trump was going to fire Robert Mueller over the Russian collusion witch hunt. We can certainly debate whether Vindman deserves his position anymore, but, for the moment, it appears he’s still serving in his position at the NSC.
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