Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) was engrossed in a book during Thursday's impeachment proceedings, but one thing managed to make her look up: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) referring to Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient, as an "American patriot.""How patriotic is it to badmouth and ridicule our great nation in front of
Russia, America's greatest enemy?" Blackburn tweeted. She did not give any examples of Vindman speaking ill of the
United States in front of Russia.Vindman, the director of European Affairs for the
White House National Security Council, was on President Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and became concerned when he heard Trump request an investigation into former Vice President
Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Vindman is also a veteran who served in the
Iraq War, and received a Purple Heart for wounds he suffered in an IED attack.Senators aren't supposed to be using electronics during the trial, but Blackburn tweeted throughout the afternoon and evening. Over multiple tweets, she accused Vindman of leaking sensitive material, being "vindictive," and wanting to "take Trump out." She appears to have a fixation with both Vindman and the idea of him being vindictive; in November, Blackburn tweeted, "Vindictive Vindman is the 'whistleblower's' handler." This remains her pinned tweet.More stories from theweek.com
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