Jim Jordan Trips Over His Asshole Trying to Malign Lt. Colonel Vindman
Hello, and welcome to week two of the impeachment inquiry’s public hearings. Last week the House Intelligence Committee heard
testimony from career officials concerning
Donald Trump’s plot to extort Ukraine for personal gain, which Republicans rejected as hearsay because it came from people who were not on the infamous July 25 phone call. This morning the witnesses included Lt. Colonel
Alexander Vindman and
Mike Pence aide
Jennifer Williams, who
were listening in as Trump
asked Ukraine president
Volodymyr Zelensky to do him a “favor,” meaning the GOP has had to pivot in its sad, sad defense of the president. And here’s what it’s come up with: trying, and failing, to suggest Vindman, a decorated Army veteran who
received a Purple Heart in 2004, can’t be trusted.
Not surprisingly, that honor went to resident angry man
Jim Jordan, who read from the deposition of National Security Council adviser
Tim Morrison, who, according to Jordan, expressed “concerns” about Vindman’s judgment. “So your boss had concerns about your judgment,” Jordan said. “Your former boss, Dr.
[Fiona] Hill, had concerns about your judgment. Your colleagues had concerns about your judgment. And your colleagues felt that there were times when you leaked information. Any idea why they have those impressions, Colonel Vindman?” Jordan
asked, clearly thinking he’d nailed the guy. To which Vindman, perhaps
expecting the attempted smear, responded by reading a performance evaluation written by Hill earlier this year.
“Alex is a top 1% military officer and the best Army officer I have worked with in my 15 years of government service,” Vindman said, quoting Hill. “He is brilliant, unflappable, and exercises excellent judgment...Exemplary during numerous visits...I think you get the idea.” Turning to Morrison, Vindman added, “I can’t say why Mr. Morrison questioned my judgment. We had only recently started working together. He wasn’t there very long, and we were just trying to figure out our relationship. Maybe it was different cultures, military culture versus—”
Realizing that his initial questioning wasn’t panning out as he’d hoped, Jordan interjected, “And colonel, you never leaked information?” Vindman replied, “I never did, never would. That is preposterous that I would do that.” Vindman did not ask Jordan to read from any of
his performance reviews, which was probably for the best given that the representative from Ohio has been
accused by multiple individuals of ignoring sexual abuse on the Ohio State wrestling team, a charge he
has denied.
