在对亚历山大·温德曼中校对美国忠诚的突然批评和质疑声中，第三众议院共和党人、怀俄明州众议员利兹·切尼为唐纳德·特朗普总统国家安全委员会的乌克兰最高专家辩护，该专家星期二在国会作证。
在闭门作证前的几个小时，温德曼面临特朗普盟友以及友好的有线电视新闻主持人对他的动机和忠诚的一连串含沙射影。据周一晚上透露，文德曼将作证称，他认为特朗普7月25日与乌克兰对手臭名昭著的电话——文德曼实时听到了这段对话——试图破坏美国的国家安全。
众议院共和党会议主席切尼称对伊拉克战争老兵和紫心勋章获得者的袭击是“可耻的”，并表示对他爱国主义的质疑需要立即停止。
切尼在新闻发布会上对记者说:“我认为我们需要展示我们作为一个国家比那更好。”。“他们的爱国主义，他们对国家的热爱——我们说的是献身于战争的老兵，质疑他们的爱国主义，他们对这个国家的热爱是可耻的，我们不应该参与这个过程。”
6月11日，众议院共和党会议主席莉兹·切尼和共和党众议员在美国国会大厦举行每周共和党会议后，举行新闻发布会。
温德曼是一个逃离祖国的乌克兰难民年轻时来到美国。学者、前共和党国会议员，甚至前司法部官员都质疑温德曼的忠诚是否在美国以外的其他地方。
作为白宫官员，温德曼精通乌克兰语和俄语，并不时就如何处理特朗普的私人律师鲁迪·朱利安尼向乌克兰官员提出建议。那一点，b基于a纽约时报 报告《福克斯新闻》的劳拉·英格拉姆在周一晚间节目中强调了这一点。英格拉姆暗示，温德曼的背景和他与乌克兰的会谈令人怀疑。
此外，她的一位客人——约翰·柳，前司法部官员，加州大学伯克利分校的法学教授——指控温德曼“从事间谍活动”。
福克斯和朋友布莱恩·基尔米德周二早上说，由于他的过去，温德曼“倾向于和乌克兰人相处融洽”。前众议员肖恩·达菲(共和党人)同一天早上上了美国有线电视新闻网，质疑这位陆军军官“关心美国的政策”
美国有线电视新闻网评论员达菲说:“我们都对自己的祖国有着深厚的感情。”。"他对乌克兰有好感。"
特朗普还直接瞄准了温德曼，在一条推文中称他为“永不通敌的证人”。“他和我在同一个电话上吗？不可能！”他写道。“请让他读一下电话记录。政治迫害！”
作为他私下弹劾调查人员的开场白的一部分，温德曼说他非常关心特朗普要求外国领导人调查一个政治敌人，以至于他向上级提出了这个问题。
几位现任和前任立法者和高级官员——包括参议员特德·克鲁兹(得克萨斯州共和党人)、众议员马克·梅多斯(北卡罗来纳州共和党人)、参议员约翰·麦凯恩(亚利桑那州共和党人)、交通部长赵小兰、前国务卿亨利·基辛格和前加州共和党州长阿诺德·施瓦辛格——并非出生在美国，也没有被指控不忠。
民主党人也为文德曼辩护，称他有光荣的服役记录，并愿意服从弹劾调查人员。他们对他的证词特别感兴趣，因为这将标志着立法者第一次听到7月份与特朗普和乌克兰总统沃洛迪米尔·泽兰斯基通电话的人的声音。温德曼还预计会反驳美国驻欧盟大使戈登·桑德兰的证词。
温德曼告诉立法者，桑德拉7月10日在华盛顿特区的一次会议上要求乌克兰官员调查乔和亨特·拜登以及其他一些事情，这是“不恰当的，要求调查拜登和他的儿子与国家安全无关，[国家安全委员会不会介入此类调查。”
桑德兰此前告诉弹劾调查人员，其他出席会议的美国官员，包括前国家安全顾问约翰博尔顿，对他向乌克兰人提出的请求没有任何疑虑。温德曼的开场白则不然。
TOP REPUBLICAN DEFENDS VINDMAN TESTIFYING IN IMPEACHMENT PROBE AMID FLURRY OF CRITICISM FROM TRUMP ALLIES
Amid a sudden wave of criticism and questions about Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman's loyalty to the United States, the No. 3 House Republican, Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, came to the defense of the top Ukraine expert on President Donald Trump's National Security Council, who is testifying Tuesday before Congress.
In the hours leading up to his closed-door testimony, Vindman faced a barrage of insinuations about his motives and loyalty from Trump allies, as well as friendly cable news hosts. It was revealed Monday night Vindman would testify that he believed Trump's infamous July 25 phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart—a conversation that Vindman heard in real time—tried to undermine America's national security.
Cheney, the House Republican conference chair, labeled the attacks against the Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient as "shameful" and said the questioning of his patriotism needed to immediately cease.
"I think that we need to show we are better than that as a nation," Cheney told reporters at a press conference. "Their patriotism, their love of country—we're talking about dedicated veterans who have put their lives on the line, and it is shameful to question their patriotism, their love of this nation, and we should not be involved in that process."
House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney and fellow GOP House leaders hold a news conference June 11 following their weekly Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol.
Vindman is a Ukrainian refugee who fled his country at a young age to come to the United States. Pundits, a former Republican congressman, and even a former Justice Department official have questioned whether Vindman's loyalties lie elsewhere than America.
A White House official, Vindman is fluent in Ukrainian and Russian and has advised Ukrainian officials at times on how to handle Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. That point, based on a New York Times report, was highlighted by Fox News' Laura Ingraham on her Monday night show. Ingraham suggested Vindman's background and his talks with Ukraine were suspicious.
In addition, one of her guests—John Yoo, a former Justice Department official and a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley—accused Vindman of "espionage."
Fox & Friends' Brian Kilmeade said Tuesday morning that Vindman "tends to feel simpatico with the Ukraine" because of his past. And former Representative Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) went on CNN the same morning to question where the Army officer is "concerned about American policy."
"We all have an affinity to our homeland where we came from," said Duffy, a CNN commentator. "He has an affinity for the Ukraine."
Trump also took direct aim at Vindman, characterizing him as a "Never Trumper witness" in a tweet. "Was he on the same call that I was? Can't be possible!" he wrote. "Please ask him to read the Transcript of the call. Witch Hunt!"
As part of his opening statement to impeachment investigators behind closed doors, Vindman said that he was so concerned with Trump asking a foreign leader to investigate a political foe that he raised the matter with a superior.
Several current and former lawmakers and high-level officials—including Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Representative Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Republican governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger—were not born in the U.S. and have not been accused of disloyalty.
Democrats have also come to the defense of Vindman, citing his decorated service record and willingness to comply with impeachment investigators. His testimony is of special interest to them because it will mark the first time lawmakers will hear from someone who was on the July phone call with Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Vindman was also expected to contradict testimony by U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland.
Vindman told lawmakers that Sondland's request during a July 10 meeting in Washington, D.C., that Ukrainian officials investigate Joe and Hunter Biden, among other things, was "inappropriate, that the request to investigate Biden and his son had nothing to do with national security, and that such investigations were not something the [National Security Council] was going to get involved in."
Sondland previously told impeachment investigators that other U.S. officials at the meeting, including former national security adviser John Bolton, showed no misgivings about the requests he made to the Ukrainians. Vindman's opening remarks stated otherwise.
