Alexander Vindman
The Guardian
What holds, and what fails, under pressure, standards and accountability.
Alexander Vindman is a decorated military officer and public servant who prioritized his oath to the Constitution over his career. This interview reveals his deep sense of duty and the sacrifices he made to uphold democratic principles, showcasing his role as a trusted protector of institutional integrity.
“The US has taken on as a mantle for generations. The other thing we did was we kept the enemy at bay. We fought Al-Qaeda. We fought ISIS on distant shores, although it's ISIS K obviously kept the homeland safe. I think unfortunately the execution of the drawdown necessitates two lessons.”
“I think there may have been a moment like that. I think certainly Fiona, Dr. Fiona Hill Coming back from that meeting, she asked me to pick up Ukraine also. And it's because I think she realized that there wasn't going to be as much as we would want to do to push back on Russian aggression. Russians interference in US domestic affairs.”
“Yes. I think that's right. It's interesting for me to think about my dad who again there's a sense of machismo that I think runs through Soviet men, you know, Ukrainian Russian men that doesn't necessarily allow them to have kind of what I would think would be a completely healthy loving relationship with their children, especially you wa…”
“But Mick Mulvaney was helping orchestrate this White House meeting in exchange for an investigation into the Biden's drug deal. And the only thing that was missing and maybe my reverence for the office of the president was I was unwilling to accept it until I heard it with my own ears.”
The Axe Files with David Axelrod — Ep. 458 — Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman
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