Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who provided damaging testimony during President Trump’s impeachment, is not being investigated by the Army, the service’s top civilian said Friday.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy’s comments come days after Trump suggested the military discipline Vindman for his testimony during the House’s impeachment inquiry.
“There’s no investigation into him,” McCarthy said at the National Press Club.
A week ago, Vindman and his twin brother, who did not testify during the impeachment process, were escorted from the White House, where they had been working as National Security Council staffers.
Then on Tuesday, Trump raised the possibility the Army would “take a look” at Vindman.
“We sent him on his way to a much different location, and the military can handle him any way they want,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Asked specifically if the Pentagon should pursue further action against Vindman, Trump said it would be “up to the military.”
“But if you look at what happened, they’re going to certainly, I would imagine, take a look at that,” Trump added.
The comments raised fears of military punishment for Vindman despite Defense Secretary Mark Esper suggesting earlier there would be none.
“We protect all of our persons, service members, from retribution or anything like that. We’ve already addressed that in policy and other means,” Esper told reporters at the Pentagon hours before Vindman was removed from his National Security Council job.
On Friday, McCarthy downplayed Vindman’s removal from the National Security Council, saying he had been scheduled to leave the job in May or June anyway.
Right now, Vindman has a “bridging assignment” working at Army Department headquarters “for a few months” until he attends as “senior service college this summer,” McCarthy added.