alexander vindman
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman is sworn in to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 19.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
  • Colonel Alexander Vindman said Tucker Carlson demonizes and hates the United States.
  • Vindman made the comments on CNN while discussing how Carlson had criticized Capitol officer Harry Dunn.
  • Vindman said he related to Capitol officers whose credibility Carlson had attacked.
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Retired Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman criticized Fox News host Tucker Carlson for scaremongering and anti-American rhetoric.

"It's interesting to hear folks like Tucker Carlson demonize and hate the United States because that's what he's doing. He's hating the United States," Vindman said.

Vindman, a key witness in Donald Trump's first impeachment trial, made the comments while appearing on CNN to discuss how Capitol officers who testified about January 6 had their credibility attacked by people like Carlson.

Vindman previously served as the top Ukraine expert on Trump's National Security Council. He made headlines in 2019 when he recounted in minute detail his firsthand knowledge of Trump's efforts to strongarm the Ukrainian government into launching bogus political investigations targeting Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

He said he felt a "kinship" and a "common shared experience" with the officers after having had his own credibly similarly attacked after the Ukraine impeachment trial.

"I would just ask the American public to take a look around, walk your streets," Vindman said. "Does it look anything like the world Tucker Carlson portrays, or that Donald Trump portrays?"

"We have problems, we have challenges that we can overcome together, but we are still the best country in the world and we do that together," he said.

He added that he had been in touch with Capitol officers as he felt it was important to keep in touch with those who'd had similar experiences.

After Capitol officer Harry Dunn testified that he was called the n-word and violently attacked during the Capitol riot, Tucker Carlson accused him of being "an angry left-wing political activist."

In a tweet, Dunn's lawyer said that the police officer had received "numerous vile/racist" messages after Carlson's segment, including some that "specifically cite" Carlson.

Carlson had similarly attacked Vindman after the impeachment trial, questioning the veteran's loyalty to America and his ties to Ukraine after he said he had been offered a Ukraine military post.

Vindman previously told USA Today that he had spoken to Dunn after the attacks.

"These are not people in your circle," Vindman had told Dunn. "Really, you should only be concerned with people that you respect and admire. All of this other stuff is just background noise," he said.

Earlier this week, Vindman told the Washington Post that Trump is a "vile man" who did more "damage to the United States than any other leader in recent US history."

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