Vindman delivers “Extremely Disturbing” testimony

(NBC News) Army Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, a highly decorated Iraq War veteran and the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, testified Tuesday as part of the House impeachment inquiry.

Vindman said in his prepared opening statement “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 think this is the MOST powerful moment of ANY of the house hearings,” said former Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns.

President Trump, without offering evidence, dismissed the Lt. Colonel as a “never Trumper witness” in the impeachment inquiry “witch hunt” on Twitter.

Some of the president’s allies also questioned Vindman’s loyalties, noting his foreign birth. The self-described “apolitical patriot” escaped the Soviet Union with his family when he was just 3-years-old.

At least one Republican came to his defense.

“We’re talking about decorated veterans who have served this nation, who have put their lives on the line, and it is shameful to question their patriotism,” said Rep. Liz Cheney.

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