WASHINGTON ― Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key figure from President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, is launching a long-shot bid to oust GOP Sen. Ashley Moody in Florida.
“Today, our country is in chaos,” Vindman said in a video announcing his campaign on Tuesday. “Thug militias attacking citizens. Tariffs pushing prices sky-high. Health care premiums through the roof. And Florida homeowners are being absolutely screwed because Ashley Moody caved to the big insurance companies.”
Vindman served as the director for European Affairs at the National Security Council during Trump’s first term and was also a key witness during his 2019 impeachment proceedings. The military veteran and Purple Heart recipient testified how Trump threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine unless its government opened an investigation into his then Democratic political opponent Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election. As a result of his testimony, Vindman was removed from his position, and his promotion to the rank of colonel was ultimately stalled, leading to his retirement from the military.
“My family came here as refugees to escape tyranny, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to bow down to some wannabe tyrant,” Vindman, who was born in Soviet Ukraine but now resides in Florida, said in the video. “This president unleashed a reign of terror and retribution, not just against me and my family, but against all of us.”
Vindman’s twin brother, Eugene, serves as the Democratic...
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