‘I never saw the man, I understand now he wears his uniform when he goes in.’
Representative Chris Stewart (R-UT) went after Vindman’s uniform. The Utah representative started off easily. He mentioned that Vindman wore a suit rather than a uniform at the White House, and Stewart said:
‘[The uniform is a’ great reminder of your service.’
Then, the representative commented about Vindman correcting House Minority Leader Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA), who addressed him as “Mr. Vindman.” The colonel said he wished to be called by his rank instead.
‘Do you always insist on civilians calling you by your rank?’
Vindman and his family have been threatened by Trump supporters to the point that he has a 24/7 protective detail. In fact, should he or any member of his family be under “imminent threat,” they would be relocated to an Army base for greater protection. An Army spokesperson said that it was:
‘[P]roviding supportive assistance to help Lt. Col. Vindman with the public attention.’
Representative Dempsey noted that the Republicans’ in general and the public especially has had a view that the military has always been filled with conservatives:
‘It’s fascinating how quickly they will abandon anyone in uniform if they don’t fill preconceived notions of who you should support. There’s almost this knee-jerk, immediate reaction to undercut the validity of his service.’
Vindman responded to Stewart, noting he did not choose to be “marginalized:”
‘The attacks I’ve had in the press, [on] Twitter have kind of … marginalized me as a military officer.’
As the head Ukraine expert for the National Security Council, Vindman testified earlier in his testimony:
‘The uniform I wear today is of the U.S. Army.’
‘A Purple Heart, Ranger Tab, and Combat Infantry Badge’
Vindman also wore his uniform to the closed-door hearings. Active-duty members of the service typically wear their uniforms when they are testifying before Congress. When military officials assigned to the National Security Council go to a council meeting consisting of a number of other agency representatives, they often wear formal civilian clothing.
Featured image via Twitter.