Yevgeny Vindman, a former national security advisor in the Trump administration, has announced his candidacy for Congress in Virginia's 7th district.
This comes as the current representative, Abigail Spanberger (D), has revealed her intention to run for governor. Vindman gained national attention when he reported a claim made by his twin brother, Alexander Vindman, regarding a 2019 phone call between then-President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, a move that ultimately led to Trump's impeachment.
As a senior ethics official at the National Security Council, Yevgeny Vindman was responsible for bringing his brother's report to his superiors. Both Vindman brothers were subsequently reassigned from their positions at the National Security Council following the leak.
In a later statement, Yevgeny Vindman claimed that he was "politicized" by Trump. "I ultimately became politicized by Donald Trump and his administration as they tried to discredit me," he stated. Currently, Vindman is a strong advocate for increased funding for Ukraine and collaborates with a group that aids Kyiv prosecutors in investigating war crimes.
"Im not your typical candidate," Yevgeny Vindman declared ahead of his announcement, according to the Washington Post. "The bottom line is that I want to serve my community. Ive retired from the Army, but now I have a change of mission and thats to serve the community I decided to live in and raise my kids in."
The phone call that sparked the impeachment inquiry saw Trump questioning Zelensky about the dismissal of Ukrainian prosecutor Victor Shokin, who was fired at the behest of then-Vice President Joe Biden, who was overseeing Ukraine policy under the Obama administration. Trump described the call as "perfect."
Trump's inquiry into Shokin's dismissal and Biden's involvement led to accusations that he was withholding funding from Ukraine until Zelensky investigated Biden's relationship with the previous president, Petro Poroshenko. Biden had previously boasted about withholding funds from Ukraine until Shokin was fired. Alexander Vindman testified to Congress in 2019 that Trump's request for transparency from Ukraine was "improper."
Alexander Vindman also advocated for the Ukrainian government under Zelensky to secure lucrative defense contracts. The US has provided Ukraine with over $113 billion in weapons, aid, and assistance since February 2022. Vindman suggested an initial funding of $12 million for his company, Trident Support.
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