Ukrainian Vindman who testified against Trump elected to US Congress
Eugene Vindman, a native of Ukraine and a representative of the Democratic Party, won the election to the House of Representatives in Virginia. He and his twin brother, Alexander Vindman, testified in the impeachment case against Donald Trump.
According to The New York Times, Eugene Vindman’s victory keeps the district in Democratic hands, supporting the party's hopes of gaining a majority in the House of Representatives.
Vindman, 49, will replace Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the House of Representatives, who decided to run for governor.
AP noted that Vindman focused his campaign on abortion rights and the threat of the MAGA movement to democracy. He described his victory as "a testament to the power of the American experience", as he, as a native of Kyiv, was able to obtain a high political office in the United States.
"It’s a testament to the power of the American experience, that an immigrant who escaped a Soviet Regime and came to this great nation with less than $800 in our pockets, would now stand here as a Congressman-elect of the United States House of Representatives," he was quoted as saying.
Born in Kyiv, Vindman is 49 years old, a retired lieutenant colonel in the US Army, a lawyer, and the twin brother of Alexander Vindman. Since 2018, Eugene Vindman has served as deputy legal adviser to the US National Security Council but was fired by Trump in 2020.
The news outlet noted that both brothers testified against Trump in the case of his call to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which triggered the first impeachment against Trump.
As European Pravda wrote, on 19 November 2019, during an open hearing in the House of Representatives as part of the impeachment trial, Alexander Vindman said that he had been offered the post of Minister of Defence of Ukraine.
During the hearing, Vindman also stated that he considered US President Donald Trump's telephone conversation with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy "inappropriate". He had previously testified behind closed doors and said that the conversation made it clear to him that Ukraine would not receive military aid until it did what Trump wanted.
After that, both brothers were fired, and the Pentagon claimed that Eugene Vindman was retaliated against by Trump officials.