Former National Security Council (NSC) advisor Alexander Vindman took a shot at Donald Trump on Saturday after the president made a big deal of revoking Vindman’s security clearance late on Friday. Vindman quickly pointed out that he hasn’t had a security clearance for five years, suggesting that Trump hadn’t bothered to do his homework before making the announcement.
Appearing on MSNBC’s The Weekend, Vindman, who blew the whistle on Trump’s attempt to pressure Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in 2019, was asked about a meme shared by the White House. The meme listed several individuals, including Vindman, whose security clearances were supposedly revoked.
When asked to respond, Vindman smirked and said, “I’m not a weak-kneed billionaire that could be bullied around. I’m not a massive D.C. law firm with nearly unlimited resources that could be brought to heel by some empty threats.”
He then added with a laugh, “I haven’t had an active security clearance for five years. And guess what? I revoke the president’s revocation. I reinstate my security clearance, and, you know, it’s meaningless.”
Vindman brushed off the move as “noise” and “Friday night theater,” saying, “They’re running out of, like, you know, really cool plays. So now they’re going deep, and it’s pretty absurd where they’re headed. And frankly, I don’t care. This is not something that I’m gonna lose sleep over.”
The retired U.S. Army officer made it clear that Trump’s decision wasn’t something that would bother him, calling it “a non-issue.”
You can watch the full interview in the video below from MSNBC:
