Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s patriotism is being questioned today by some on the Right, particularly Donald Trump and his usual allies. Vindman testified before Congress today regarding the phone call between Trump and Ukrainian president Zelensky, and because his testimony failed to erase concerns over Trump’s ethics (or lack thereof), Vindman’s critics are suggesting that he has dual loyalty between America and Ukraine, from which Vindman emigrated as a child with his parents to flee persecution of Jews in the Soviet Union.

These character assassination attempts are nothing short of offensive and disgusting. Vindman has served the U.S. — his home — with honor and distinction. And, as documentarian Ken Burns notes, Vindman’s appreciation for America goes back to his childhood:

I remember the Vindman boys fondly. Theirs is the story of America at its best. https://t.co/0Pkj8mAkwk — Ken Burns (@KenBurns) October 29, 2019

Watch:

As @pbump of @washingtonpost unearthed today, Army Lt. Col. Vindman, who is testifying before Congress today, was featured as a young boy in the @KenBurns Academy Award-nominated doc "The Statue of Liberty" in 1985. Watch the full clip on UNUM here: https://t.co/aLDj0Fpjsx pic.twitter.com/QAMe6BjkAL — UNUMKenBurns (@UNUMKenBurns) October 29, 2019

Critics are, of course, entitled to try to cast doubt on Vindman’s testimony. After all, his testimony did little to benefit Trump. But questioning his loyalty to this country reeks of desperation and betrays a fundamental lack of understanding as to the meaning of patriotism.

thanks for sharing that. — ellie sheely (@elliesheely) October 29, 2019

Anybody who jumped to the "dual loyalty" argument on Vindman is telling you something important about how they see people, America, and the world and you should not forget it. https://t.co/UBNPWd0VfB — Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) October 29, 2019

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Related:

Liz Cheney calls out Republicans questioning Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s patriotism