Eugene Vindman, the lesser-known identical brother of Trump impeachment witness Alexander Vindman, is running for Congress in Virginia.
Vindman announced that he is running for the open seat being vacated by Rep. Abigail Spanberger, (D) a former CIA officer who is leaving to challenge Republican governor Glenn Youngkin.
Eugene Vindman is adopting the popular theme of defending "democracy" from President Trump, who was impeached a second time over an alleged "insurrection" at the Capitol.
"I'm no longer serving in uniform but now I have a new mission. To defend democracy, fight Trump and MAGA extremists, and serve the people of Virginia. I'm running for VA7!" Vindman wrote.
The 48-year-old retired Army Colonel was a top lawyer and ethics official at the National Security Council before he was fired from the NSC, along with his brother, for undermining the president.
Along with his brother, Eugene Vindman helped report (that is, leak) President Trump's private phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump pressured Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden's ties to Ukraine.
Trump was impeached over the phone call, and Alexander Vindman was a star witness during the made-for-TV trial led by Democrat Adam Schiff (Ca.).
While the Ukraine impeachment saga has largely been forgotten, the Vindman brothers are continuing to take advantage of their minor notoriety.
Eugene Vindman was promptly endorsed by Schiff as a champion of "democracy."
"We need more members of Congress committed to protecting our democracy," Schiff wrote.
Eugene Vindman also received an endorsement from actor Ben Stiller, who called him "extremely decent" and a good friend.
I don’t usually do this kind of posting but my friend is running for Congress. He’s incredibly qualified, experienced and extremely decent. We need people like him serving us and the country. https://t.co/lCzgbLLSET
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) November 16, 2023
Alexander Vindman got into hot water months ago over a report that he was profiting from the war in Ukraine with lucrative military contracts.
Both brothers, Ukrainian immigrants, are known for their criticism of Trump and equally vocal advocacy for Ukraine and "our democracy."
Eugene Vindman is likely to face competition from other Democrats in the primary, and the general election race in the purplish 7th district is sure to be competitive.
