Alexander Vindman: Why I’m seeking accountability from Trump allies in court

In July 2019, my life took a dramatic and unexpected turn when I listened to a phone call during which the president of the United States made inappropriate and possibly unlawful demands of a foreign leader. I did my duty by reporting my concerns within the National Security Council, where I served as a director. When later subpoenaed by Congress, I testified truthfully about what I heard. As a result, my career and personal life were forever turned upside down.

I never sought public attention. In fact, I spent my career as an officer in the U.S. Army out of the public eye. When I heard something I thought was wrong, I reported it through private, official channels. My knowledge of what I heard on that phone call became public only when President Donald Trump’s conduct became the subject of an impeachment inquiry and Congress sought my testimony.

No regrets for telling the truth

I don’t regret telling the truth either in private or during the public impeachment hearings. I did what I was trained and obligated to do as a longtime member of the U.S. Army and a federal official. But I wish it hadn’t ended my career and upended my life. I especially wish that it hadn’t taken such a toll on my family. Public servants who do their duty, tell the truth and uphold their oaths of office shouldn’t be subjected to intimidation and retaliation. I’ve been disheartened to see so little accountability for what I experienced and other abuses of power that took place during that time. I worry about what that means for future whistleblowers, regardless of issue or party, who also want to do the right thing.

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That’s why I filed a lawsuit Wednesday against several of the close associates and allies of former President Trump who participated in a concerted effort to falsely attack my loyalty to the United States and punish me for testifying, including by abruptly removing me and my twin brother from the White House and temporarily blocking my promotion within the Army. I'm suing Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son; Rudy Giuliani, the president's former personal attorney; Julia Hahn, former special assistant to the president; and Daniel Scavino Jr., a Trump communications official, for intimidation and retaliation. I wish I had done so sooner, both for my sake and for the other public servants who have been similarly tested.

Sharp-elbowed politics is not against the law, nor should it be. It has always been fair game to criticize public figures. But what happened to me was something different. I was attacked in a way calculated to inflict maximum personal and professional damage likely in order to prevent me from testifying or to punish me for doing so. In this country, that violates the law.

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We can’t have a functional government or healthy democracy if witnesses can’t testify, and if federal officials can’t do their jobs, without fear of payback. Congress recognized this in 1871 when it passed a federal law intended to prohibit conspiracies to intimidate and retaliate against witnesses and federal officials carrying out their duties. Indeed, our democracy frays each time a president and his enablers are allowed to consider themselves above the law and immune from accountability.

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My lawsuit isn’t meant to relitigate Trump’s conduct with respect to Ukraine or the merits of his impeachment. But the impeachment process is the primary tool our Constitution provides for holding our chief executive accountable outside of elections, and Trump tried to obstruct that process. While the impeachment proceedings are over and done with, the broader harm to our democracy has not been redressed, and the lasting threat to other government officials who want to do the right thing remains today.

Taking a stand again for what is right

I filed this lawsuit because I believe in the active role all citizens must play in upholding our democracy. I came to the United States as a child when my family fled autocratic oppression in the Soviet Union. I know democracy is fragile, and I’ve committed more than two decades of my professional life to its defense. America aspires to be a country governed by the rule of law – where the law applies equally to everyone and protects everyone, from the most powerful to the least. My case is a test of that proposition. I know the hill I’m about to climb might be steep, but I think it’s worthwhile.

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Only now are we starting to gain a fuller picture of some of the abuses that occurred during the Trump administration. And only now are we starting to see the beginnings of a serious effort at accountability. Yet Trump and his allies continue to resist these efforts, having been emboldened by years without consequences. So I’ve decided again to take a stand on behalf of what is right. Failing to do so might invite more abuses of power and a deeper slide into authoritarianism.

As witnesses subpoenaed by the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection refuse to cooperate, some intimidated into silence, the need for accountability grows more urgent every day. I hope this lawsuit will shed more light on the abuses that are chipping away at our democracy, and eventually bring a measure of justice to those who are responsible. That’s why I’m trusting our legal system – and depending on it – to bring this accountability to bear and help restore some faith in our democratic institutions.

Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman is the former director of European Affairs for the U.S. National Security Council, a senior adviser to VoteVets and author of “Here, Right Matters.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vindman sues Trump Jr., Giuliani, others for intimidation, retaliation