Encore Presentation: The Beginning of the End for Putin with LTC Alexander Vindman
The Lincoln Project
The Lincoln Project
4.7 • 8.4K Ratings
🗓️ 14 February 2023
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode was originally released on March 11, 2022…just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As the one year anniversary of that invasion approaches…we thought it was important to look back at how things began to better understand how things stand today. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman who was the former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council. They discuss how “the perfect phone call” set into motion the events we’re now experiencing today with the Russia-Ukraine war. Plus, why was the Russian army not immediately victorious like so many predicted, what more can NATO and the United States be doing to continue to aid Ukraine, and does this all end in a whimper…or in a mushroom cloud? If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to [email protected].
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey gang, it's Reed. Before we get started, I just want to say thank you again for listening, |
| 0:03.9 | and I hope that you will share the Lincoln Project podcast and our mission to protect American |
| 0:09.2 | democracy with your friends, your family, and your colleagues. To get more information, |
| 0:14.5 | please go to LincolnProject.us and sign up to be a supporter today. And now on with the show. |
| 0:21.4 | Welcome back to the Lincoln Project. I'm your host, Reed Gailan. Today, I'm once again joined by |
| 0:35.6 | retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Alex Benman, who is the former director for European |
| 0:41.0 | Affairs at the National Security Council during the Trump administration. Benman came to national |
| 0:45.6 | attention in October 2019 when he testified before Congress regarding the Trump Ukraine scandal. |
| 0:51.3 | His testimony provided evidence that resulted in Donald Trump's first impeachment charge. |
| 0:56.2 | Colonel Benman served in the Army for 21 years and is a purple heart recipient in addition to |
| 1:00.8 | many other decorations. Since his retirement, he's published his first memoir, Here, Right Matters, |
| 1:06.8 | an American story, and is currently pursuing a PhD in International Affairs at Johns Hopkins |
| 1:11.9 | University. Alex, welcome back. Thanks, Reed. I'm glad to be here. You know, one thing I want to say is |
| 1:18.2 | in that introduction, Reed, every time I hear it, and it's not just you guys, I mean, I'm deeply |
| 1:23.5 | honored to be associated with the institution of the National Security Council of the United States. |
| 1:28.0 | But why do people have to keep pointing out that it was the Trump administration? I need to start |
| 1:32.0 | a campaign to get people to stop identifying me as somebody that worked for Donald Trump. |
| 1:37.3 | But Alex, I mean, the broader point to your comment is that the National Security Council is |
| 1:41.9 | supposed to be a political. It's supposed to allow career, national security, intelligence, |
| 1:47.6 | and military officers at the White House to serve the National Security apparatus and specifically |
| 1:52.7 | the president for the purposes of keeping the United States safe, keeping the president informed, |
| 1:57.6 | so he or she can make an appropriate decision. That's absolutely right. And that's the way I walked |
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