Apparently, Republicans in Congress are circling the wagons to protect anti-Trump witness Lt.Col. Alexander Vindman from criticism on the grounds that he is a Purple Heart recipient and has a distinguished career in the military.
“That guy’s a Purple Heart. I think it would be a mistake to attack his credibility,” said South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told Politico.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), went even further. “I’m not going to question the patriotism of any of the people who come forward.”
Whoa Nelly! Just because someone has served in the military does not mean they can be trusted. I would have thought Trump’s mistaken hires of Gens. H.R. McMaster and James Mattis had laid that theory to rest. Today’s military is a breeding ground of left-wing ideology, and we cannot give a free pass to any witness just because they wear or wore a uniform. Robert E. Lee wore a US Army uniform too — until he took it off and put on his Confederate uniform instead!
This is the worst kind of political correctness — where we cannot criticize someone’s behavior or words because they belong to some protected class. Therefore Jussie Smollett can’t have committed a hate crime because he is black, and Col. Vindman can’t be a dangerous Deep State operative because he is also in the Army.
Ugh!
Apparently this blowback started because former Rep. Sean Duffy challenged Vindman on CNN, saying that Vindman was “incredibly concerned about Ukrainian defense. I don’t know that he’s concerned about American policy,” adding that Vindman’s “affinity” may be for Ukraine not the United States.
Gee, that was the same conclusion I had when I read Vindman’s leaked opening statement.
Duffy apparently was pressured into recanting. He later tweeted that Vindman is an “American war hero,” and that the point he was trying to make is that “Mr. Vindman is an unelected advisor, he gives ADVICE. President Trump sets the policy.”
My point is simpler: Being a war hero doesn’t give you a free pass. Don’t get involved in a conspiracy against the president, and you won’t have to listen to anyone criticize you.
Of course, there is also the usual hypocrisy present in the Democrats’ argument that soldiers’ loyalty cannot be questioned. That benefit of the doubt was certainly not afforded to Gen. Flynn when he was arrested after being set up by the FBI during the Russian collusion hoax.
Here’s a link to my own politically incorrect attack on Vindman, which I stand by.
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Frank Miele has spent four decades in the news business and now offers conservative commentary to counter the left-wing bias in the national media. If you enjoy reading these daily essays, I hope you will consider purchasing one of my books. They are available at Amazon in paperback or Kindle editions. My new book — “The Media Matrix: What if everything you know is fake?” — shows that Fake News has been around for years. The “Why We Needed Trump” trilogy tackles the politics of the last two decades: Part 1 is subtitled “Bush’s Global Failure: Half Right.” Part 2 is “Obama’s Fundamental Transformation: Far Left.” Part 3 is “Trump’s American Vision: Just Right.” Also consider subscribing to Heartland Diary on YouTube by clicking here for News Every Conservative Can Use.
