Alexander Vindman's twin brother wasn't an impeachment witness. He was still fired.


The White House served up a double dose of seemingly vendetta-driven dismissals on Friday.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council's top Ukraine expert, was fired on Friday in what his lawyer says was a decision based on "revenge" for Vindman's impeachment testimony. Vindman's twin brother Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman also worked for the NSC and, despite giving no public statements about President Trump or impeachment, was fired along along with him, The New York Times reports.
Alexander Vindman was escorted from the White House on Friday after Trump "decided to exact revenge," Vindman's lawyer wrote in a statement. That same revenge apparently extended to Yevgeny Vindman, who two sources say was escorted out at the same time as his brother, per the Times. Alexander Vindman's lawyer later confirmed Yevgeny Vindman's firing.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Alexander Vindman testified for Congress in Trump's impeachment inquiry, calling Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "improper" and saying he reported it to a White House lawyer. Yevgeny Vindman, by all public accounts, didn't do any of that.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
August 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include an unflattering jobs report, Democrat weakness, and the minimum wage
-
Why is the world so divided over plastics?
Today's Big Question UN negotiations on first global plastic treaty are at stake, as fossil fuel companies, petrostates and plastic industry work to resist a legal cap on production
-
Temple Mount: the politics of Judaism's holiest site
The Explainer Latest provocation at religious site with a history of 'perpetual friction' risks violence erupting again
-
Texas Democrats exit state to block redistricting vote
Speed Read More than 51 legislators fled the state in protest of the GOP's plan to redraw congressional districts
-
Trump criticized for firing BLS chief after jobs report
Speed Read Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Erika McEntarfer oversaw a July jobs report that the president claims was rigged
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein