The wife of retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said “no pardons were offered or discussed” only a few hours before President Trump’s official return to the White House.
“Whatever happens to my family, know this: No pardons were offered or discussed. I cannot begin to describe the level of betrayal and hurt I feel,” Rachel Vindman said in a Monday morning post on the social platform Threads.
Alexander Vindman, alongside his brother Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), blew the whistle on the 2019 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that led to Trump’s first impeachment.
Former President Biden announced pardons to people including Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), all of whom have been targets of Trump’s ire in the past, on Monday.
In November, tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk suggested that Alexander Vindman “committed treason” and “will pay” following the whistleblower accusing him of being unknowingly used by Russia.
“Vindman is on the payroll of Ukrainian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States,” Musk said on the social media platform X, in response to Vindman making comments in an interview on Musk’s reported talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Alexander Vindman replied to Musk on X at the time, saying his comments were “false and completely unfounded accusations.” He stated that he had never had money from Ukrainian oligarchs, noting his involvement in a nonprofit aiding Ukraine’s defense versus Russia.
“You, Elon, appear to believe you can act with impunity and are attempting to silence your critics. I’m not intimidated,” Vindman said on X.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and former President Biden for comment.
