An Army officer who was a key witness during the impeachment inquiry into President Trump last year and later retired after what he called a campaign of bullying and intimidation by the president and his allies, sharply criticized the administration on Saturday and said he would use his new civilian status to champion national security issues ahead of the elections in November. Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, a decorated Iraq war veteran who served on the staff of the White House’s National Security Council, accused the administration in an op-ed in The Washington Post of using Soviet-style tactics to punish dissenters. Colonel Vindman testified in the House impeachment hearings that it was “improper for the president” to coerce a foreign country to investigate a political opponent. “Our citizens are being subjected to the same kinds of attacks tyrants launch against their critics and political opponents,” Colonel Vindman, whose retirement from the Army after more than 21 years of service took effect Saturday, said in his op-ed. “Those who choose loyalty to American values and allegiance to the Constitution over devotion to a mendacious president and his enablers are punished.”

Source: International New York Times August 01, 2020 20:15 UTC