US Army prepared to move Vindman to secure location: report

The U.S. Army is ready to move Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and his family to a secure location on a military base if they are found to be in danger due to his testimony in the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.

Vindman reportedly requested a security assessment to analyze his and his family’s physical and online security, which was completed in recent weeks, according to the Journal. 

{mosads}The Journal reported that Army security officials have been tracking Vindman and his family at all times to ensure there are not imminent threats against them.

“The Army will make sure he’s safe, and the Army is actively supporting any safety needs as deemed necessary,” an official told the Journal. “It’s hard that he has been catapulted into the public eye. He served his country honorably for 20 years, and you can imagine this is a tough situation for him and his family.”

Army spokeswoman Col. Kathy Turner said the Army is “providing supportive assistance” for Vindman.

“As a matter of practice, the Army would neither confirm nor deny any safety or security measures taken on behalf of an individual; however, as we would with any Soldier, the Army will work with civilian authorities to ensure that he and his family are properly protected,” she said in an email statement.

Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the White House National Security Council, is testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday as part of the impeachment inquiry. 

He testified behind closed doors to House impeachment investigators in October. During that testimony, he expressed his alarm after saying he heard firsthand Trump ask the Ukrainian president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden during the July 25 call that sparked the impeachment inquiry in the House.

He testified that he believed that Trump demanded a quid pro quo after the Ukrainian president was told he would need to announce an investigation in order to secure a White House meeting with Trump.

He is one of four witnesses slated to testify on Tuesday.