Normally, people like Alexander Vindman are celebrated by Donald Trump and his most loyal followers as heroes of the nation. Vindman is a lieutenant colonel in the US Army, he was wounded by a bomb in the Iraq war, and he is the bearer of the "Purple Heart", a high military order.
However, Vindman made an unforgivable mistake in the eyes of the president and his fans. In his hearing before the US Congress, the officer in charge of Eastern Europe's White House policy largely confirmed the allegations of a whistleblower against Trump in Ukraine's Tuesday affair. He was deeply worried that Trump was trying to put pressure on the Kiev government to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, Vindman told Congress. He also said that the memorandum on Trump's telephone conversation with the Ukrainian president in the White House had apparently been deliberately changed in some places.
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Alexander Vindman: Target for attacks from the Trump camp
For example, Vindman is more or less directly compared to a spy or traitor on Trump's favorite Fox News channel. Because Vindman comes from Ukraine, speaks the language and in his function was in close contact with the government in Kiev, even his loyalty to the US is called into question.
"Vindman seems to be very concerned about Ukraine's security, but I'm not sure he cares about the US political agenda," former Republican Congressman Sean Duffy said in an interview with CNN. "We all have an affinity for our homeland, I have such affinity, and Vindman certainly has that kind of affinity."
The president himself called Vindman via Twitter indirectly as "Never Trumper". This usually refers to those people who fight against Trump within the Republican Party.
Fox presenter Laura Ingraham said Vindman was apparently working from the White House against the President's interests. That sounded a bit like high treason - and that's what it meant.
Jeremy Bash calls Fox News' coverage of Lt. Col. Alex Vindman "despicable," saying that host Laura Ingraham and her panel were implying that the army officer was a "traitor" and "un-American." (corrects: adds link) https://t.co/Q5NQJY3xKg
- MSNBC (@ MSNBC) October 29, 2019The sharpness with which Trump and Co. act against witnesses like Vindman is significant. In the struggle for a possible impeachment, they seem to be embarking on the ideas for a defense strategy. That's why they are resorting to a method known in Washington as "character assassination" - witnesses should be lied to undermine their reputation and credibility.
Similar to Vindman, other high-ranking officials who testified before the congress are being sharply attacked by Trump and his people. The incumbent US ambassador to the Ukraine, Bill Taylor, who had already heavily incriminated the president and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani last week, was even indirectly labeled as "human scum" by Trump.
Resistance also with the republicans
Again and again, the president and his fans are demanding the disclosure of the identity of the whistleblower who had started the whole affair. "Where is the whistleblower?" Is her favorite battle cry. The intent behind it seems clear: once the identity of the informant is known, its credibility could also be systematically attacked, such as by researching incriminating material in its curriculum vitae.
Whether the tactics are open, however, may be doubted. Although Trump continues to receive much support from the Republicans in Congress. Stramm right-wing MPs such as Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz or Mark Meadows are his most zealous defenders. But other Republicans are turning away with horror. They either refuse to publicly comment on the spectacle. Or they warn against defaming witnesses such as war hero Vindman, as this could be bad news for voters: it is shameful to question Lt. Col. Vindman's patriotism, Liz Cheney, a Republican leader in the House of Representatives, said their own party friends.
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Impeachment hearings are now public
The opposition Democrats for their part, meanwhile, have long since adapted to the methods of Trump and his followers. On Thursday, the House of Representatives will formally vote on the rules for further investigations into the Ukrainian economy. With their majority, the Democrats want to decide, among other things, that further hearings should no longer take place behind closed doors but in public.
The rationale behind it is clear: The Democrats hope that the hearings, which are then televised live, will influence public opinion in their favor. They are convinced that witnesses against Trump like Vindman or the diplomat Bill Taylor are so credible that an impeachment procedure is getting more and more popular support.
Extra for Trump, the Democrats have also devised a special rule for the hearings: the President may attend all meetings in order to defend himself. He can also comment on allegations or call and question witnesses.
If he does not come, he can also send his lawyers.