Marsha Blackburn defends 'Vindictive Vindman' tweet on Fox News, says he's 'going after' Trump

Brett Kelman | Nashville Tennessean

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U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn went on Fox News to defend herself against a trending Twitter hashtag that implies she is aligned with Russia.

#MoscowMarsha began trending on Friday after Blackburn, R-Tennessee, posted a tweet attacking Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a central figure in the ongoing impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

Vindman, a decorated Army official who is the director for European affairs for the U.S. National Security Council, has testified about his concerns over a diplomatic phone call in which Trump pressured the president of Ukraine to publicly investigate the family of former Vice President Joe Biden.

Some Republicans have suggested Vindman knows the identity of an anonymous whistleblower who first reported the Ukraine call that launched the impeachment inquiry.

Blackburn’s tweet went further: “Vindictive Vindman is the ‘whistleblower’s’ handler.”

Vindictive Vindman is the “whistleblower’s” handler. — Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) November 22, 2019

During an interview with Fox News’ Shannon Bream on Friday night, Blackburn said she stood by the tweet and insisted it was justified because Vindman “defied his chain of command” and was “going after” the president.

"Vindman had a problem with the president," Blackburn said. "The president wasn’t taking his advice. He didn’t like that. And he wanted the president to take his advice. And so what did he do? He defied that chain of command. He talked to somebody in the intel community. He then would not answer that question when he was asked if he had given this information to someone who was the whistleblower. And of course this is something that should cause everybody concern.

"Look, you honor someone for their service to the country, and certainly we honor the service that he gave to the country,” Blackburn continued. “But, Shannon, I’ve got to tell you, when you are defying your chain of command, when your direct supervisor says you have a problem with judgment and a problem with defying that chain of command and you are going after, not just colleagues, you are going after the commander in chief, and it is over a policy disagreement. And then, look at where we find ourselves.”

You can watch Blackburn's full Fox News interview below. The tweet is discussed about four minutes into the video.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

The Ukraine phone call is a central event in an impeachment investigation with the potential to remove Trump from office. Vindman and other witnesses have testified they were alarmed by Trump withholding financial aid while pressuring a foreign leader to investigate a political rival.

Blackburn’s defense of her tweet appears to draw arguments from several key conversations that have arisen during the impeachment proceedings.

Republicans have seized on criticism of Vindman from his former immediate supervisor, Tim Morrison, senior director for Russian affairs at the National Security Council. Morrison testified that Vindman ignored the chain of command when reporting his concerns and that he sometimes conflicted with Vindman and questioned his judgment. In constrast, Vindman's prior boss gave him a stellar job evaluation, according to reporting by The Washington Post.

Vindman has insisted that he reported the Ukraine call out of "a sense of duty" and that he followed the chain of command by taking his concerns to John Eisenberg, the lead attorney for the National Security Council.

“It is improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen and political opponent,” Vindman said during his opening statement in the impeachment inquiry. “It was also clear that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the 2016 election, the Bidens and Burisma, it would be interpreted as a partisan play."

Separately, Vindman declined to answer some questions from Republicans, at the advice of his lawyer, out of fear that answers could potentially help identify the whistleblower. However, Vindman also testified that he does not know the identity of the whistleblower.

Vindman has rebuffed attempts to paint him as a partisan critic of the president.

During one key exchange last week, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, asked Vindman if he considers himself a “Never Trumper.”

“I’d call myself a never partisan,” Vindman said.

Blackburn’s office has not responded to request for comment from The Tennessean.

Blackburn has chastised Twitter attacks before

Blackburn’s “Vindictive Vindman” tweet follows in the footsteps of many Trump-era Republicans who have adopted the president’s penchant for dismissive nicknames and Twitter attacks. However, Blackburn criticized this same behavior two years ago.

In a lengthy Facebook post in June 2017, Blackburn chastised the president’s belittling tweets as beneath his office.

“We are blessed to live in a country where we are free to express our opinions, no matter how inflammatory or hyperbolic,” Blackburn wrote. “As a legislator, I work daily to protect those freedoms. But we ought also to remember that we are all a part of a greater humanity, and that civility in our interactions — both personal and digital — is not only proper, but fundamental to a respectful and prosperous society.”

Blackburn has become an increasingly fierce supporter of Trump. She has supported his controversial immigration policy and judicial appointments and has dismissed the impeachment proceedings as a "kangaroo court." However, Blackburn has broken with Trump on a few issues, most notably his abrupt military withdrawal from Syria.

Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at brett.kelman@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @brettkelman.