President Trump gladly chooses the swamp creature over the veteran.
This is a news article by the editor.
Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman is an officer in the United States Army, a Purple Heart recipient, and, until just recently, was a member of the National Security Council. He is an infantry officer, an airborne ranger, and a combat veteran of the Iraq War.
Lt. Colonel Vindman’s Purple Heart was awarded to him for a wound he sustained in an IED attack in 2004. He is a patriot, a dedicated officer, and a veteran who has seen the face of the enemy. It could be said he represents the highest traditions of honor and duty in American society.
But Lt. Colonel Vindman has run afoul of the President of the United States, who wants his conduct reviewed for disciplinary action by the Department of Defense. Lt. Colonel Vindman, you see, had decided his oath was not only an oath to the President but to the Constitution of the United States. He could not, in good conscience, ignore a Congressional subpoena. His testimony before Congress provided some of the evidence upon which the House voted to impeach President Trump. Trump sees this as a betrayal of loyalty.
Contrasting the life story of Lt. Colonel Vindman is political operator Roger Stone. Roger Stone is a career lobbyist and political consultant, working for various politicians for the last fifty years. Best characterized as a “fixer,” observers have long considered him an expert at dirty, hard-edged politics.
Stone has long been associated with Paul Manafort and became involved in the illicit activities that led both of them to come under indictment as a result of the Mueller investigation.
Stone is a cold, calculating, ruthless political animal. It could be said he represents the worst the D.C. swamp has to offer. As a result of his conviction on the counts of obstruction, making false statements, and witness tampering, Stone was on the cusp of receiving justice for his dark political machinations. But, Trump sees Stone as a loyal ally caught up in the “witch hunt” of the Mueller investigation, and has called for his charges to be reduced or dropped altogether.
The contrast between these two men cannot be starker. Lt. Colonel Vindman has lived a life that demonstrates honor, integrity, and duty. Roger Stone has lived one that can only be described as scheming, dirty, and power-hungry. There should be no greater indictment of a President’s character than to campaign on “draining the swamp” and then follow that promise by advocating for the soft treatment of Stone, a clear swamp creature while, at the same time, calling for retribution against Vindman, a man who sought to operate as he has always operated: by a set of personal principles.
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Justin Stapley is the owner and editor of The Liberty Hawk and the voice of The New Centrist Podcast. You can follow him on Facebook and on Twitter, or you can subscribe to his newsletter.