Yevgeny Vindman, Trump whistleblower’s brother, running for Congress

Retired Army Col. Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, the twin brother of anti-Trump whistleblower Alexander Vindman, is running for Congress in Virginia as a Democrat.

“I’m called to represent the people of the– Virginia’s seventh congressional district,” Vindman told MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi in an interview Friday.

Both Eugene and his brother blew the whistle on the 2019 phone call between former President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that led to Trump’s first impeachment. Semafor first reported Vindman’s run for the Central Virginia U.S. House seat. 

“On July 25, 2019, my brother, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who also served on the NSC [National Security Council], came to my office with a look of grave concern,” a page on Vindman’s campaign website reads. “He just heard President Trump attempt to extort our ally, Ukraine, unless it investigated his political rival, Joe Biden. We reported the call up the chain of command, and the result was Trump’s first impeachment. His vengeance cost us our careers.”

“Today, I’m not done serving. I have a new mission: To represent the people of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District,” the page continues.

Vindman is aiming to replace Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), the current holder of the House seat he is running for, after she announced she will not be running for reelection next year. Spanberger is now aiming to take a different public office, as Virginia governor.

Following Spanberger’s announcement, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report changed its forecast for the Virginia’s seventh Congressional district from “likely Democrat” to “lean Democrat.”