In an interview on “Face the Nation” this morning, White House National Security Officer Robert O’Brien said that impeachment inquiry witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman will be removed from his post on the National Security Council:
VINDMAN OUT AT NSC: After testifying on the Hill, NSA O'Brien says Alexander Vindman will be removed from the National Security Council. "Everyone who's detailed at the NSC, people are going…back to their own departments and we'll bring in new folks" https://t.co/DNsbuDqAwb pic.twitter.com/nQ9U5lvxrG
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) November 10, 2019
O’Brien told CBS News that his removal is part of a downsizing of the entire NSC staff:
MARGARET BRENNAN: Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, who has testified under oath, is serving on the National Security Council currently. Will he continue to work for you despite testifying against the president?
O’BRIEN: Well- well look, one of the things that I’ve talked about is that we’re streamlining the National Security Council. It got bloated to like two hundred and thirty six people from- up from 100 in the Bush administration under President Obama. We’re streamlining the National Security Council. There are people that are detailed from different departments and agencies. My understanding is he’s- is that Colonel Vindman is- is detailed from the Department of Defense. So everyone who’s detailed at the NSC, people are going to start going back to their own departments and we’ll bring in new folks. But we’re going to get that number down to around 100 people. That’s what it was under Condoleezza Rice. She came and met with me. I met with a number of my successors.
This shouldn’t come as a shock because this is exactly what O’Brien said he was going to do:
Trump admin plans to cut NSC by abt 50% by early next year.
NSA O'Brien cited the smaller size of the NSC historically as a justification: during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the NSC had about 12 people & during the Carter years the NSC had about 35 people https://t.co/eiAbIoQ5pi
— Kylie Atwood (@kylieatwood) October 11, 2019
And even if this wasn’t part of an already announced downsizing, President Trump can remove him anyway:
The NSC is the president's organization. He can fire everyone in it tomorrow if he wants to. I know you all want to believe it's like a union job or a civil service gig, but it's not. Vindman getting kicked off of it is pretty much what you'd expect Trump to do.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 10, 2019
Even the whistleblower’s lawyer agrees:
It should be made clear that #Vindman's #whistleblower disclosures are protected by law & he is not allowed to be subjected to reprisal. It may be a legitimate, justifiable personnel move, but relevant oversight authorities should inquire. https://t.co/4EmlzDh0xV
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) November 10, 2019
But the Trump administration will potentially have an issue if they retaliate against Lt. Col. Vindman:
Now, if Trump or someone around him orders Vindman assigned to Mars Colony Five, or gives him a lousy fitness report, yes, he can claim retaliation. But removing him from NSC isn't that. He's being sent back to DoD, not fired from the Army. What happens *next* is what matters.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 10, 2019
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Related:
ICYMI ==> Mollie Hemingway spots something ‘mildly hilarious’ about gov’t ethics lawyer Lt. Col. Vindman consulted https://t.co/2sEqywLDvd
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) November 10, 2019
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman remembers the previous administration transferring ‘a fairly significant number’ of Javelins to Ukraine https://t.co/WlU9e9LNex
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) November 9, 2019
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