According to CNN reported on the 8th, the key witness in the presidential impeachment inquiry last year, a former official of the US National Security Council, and Lieutenant Colonel Wendman of the Army said on the same day that he would be discharged from the Army. Recently, due to The promotion of Vindman, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, the White House and the Pentagon have been fighting openly and secretly. Reuters commented that Windman's decision eased the political struggle between various forces in the United States.
Windman said on Twitter on the 8th: "Today, I officially ask for a discharge from the U.S. Army that I love. My family and I look forward to the next chapter of our lives. Windman's lawyer, Presman, told CNN on the same day that Vindman would retire after more than 21 years of service because he decided his future in the military would be "forever limited" due to the political retaliation of U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies. Presman said in a statement that since testifying in the impeachment inquiry last year, Vindman has suffered "bullying, intimidation and retaliation" led by the president.
CNN, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that military personnel have told Vindman that the White House is seeking to intervene in his promotion and that there are forces in the military that oppose Vindman's promotion. The person familiar with the matter criticized the White House's meddling in the promotion of personnel at this level as "absurd and frightening." In addition, senior Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Esper, insisted that Vindman had not been targeted for retaliation for political reasons and that he would be protected at the Pentagon. But Senator Duckworth, a Democratic senator who fought in the Iraq War as an Army, announced last week that she would block Senate confirmation of promotions for 1,123 senior U.S. Army officers until Esper assured he would not stop Mr. Vindman's promotion. On the day That Windman announced his retirement, Duckworth accused Esper of failing to protect his subordinates, setting a dark precedent that the president could interfere in the routine promotion of military personnel, asking the defense minister for an explanation. However, some sources said that Esper had actually approved Vindman's promotion.
The White House did not comment on CNN's report. According to Reuters, Brooks, a professor at Marquette University in the United States, believes that Vindman's announcement of his discharge from the army avoided a potential conflict between the White House and the Pentagon, and "he chose himself out." According to USA Today, Reed, a Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee of the US Congress, said he hoped that both parties would act together to investigate Windman's discharge. Bolton, a former U.S. national security adviser to the president, hinted that Congress might investigate why Vindman decided to retire.
(Global Times)