Eugene Vindman | |
|---|---|
Євген Віндман | |
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's7th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Abigail Spanberger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yevgeny Semyonovich Vindman (1975-06-06)June 6, 1975 (age 50) Kiev,Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Cindy Groff |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Alexander Vindman (brother) |
| Education | |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1998–2022 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | Judge Advocate General's Corps |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
| Awards | |
Eugene Semyon Vindman (bornYevgeny Semyonovich Vindman;[a] June 6, 1975) is an American politician, lawyer, and retiredU.S. Army officer serving as theU.S. representative forVirginia's 7th congressional district since 2025.[1] A member of theDemocratic Party, he was a deputy legal advisor for theUnited States National Security Council (NSC) until he was reassigned on February 7, 2020.[2][3]
Vindman came to national attention in October 2019 when his twin brother, Lieutenant ColonelAlexander Vindman, testified before the United States Congress regarding theTrump–Ukraine scandal. Because of his position on the NSC, Eugene had received Alexander's report ofPresident Trump's telephone call to Ukraine. Because of its unusual nature, Eugene Vindman reported the call to seniorWhite House lawyers. Alexander Vindman's testimony provided evidence that resulted in a charge of abuse of power in thefirst impeachment of Donald Trump.
In 2024, Vindman won theDemocratic nomination for Virginia's 7th congressional district in the2024 election.[4] He defeated Republican Derrick Anderson in the November 5 general election,[5][6] and assumed office on January 3, 2025.[7]
Yevgeny Semyonovich Vindman and his identical twin brotherAlexander were born on June 6, 1975,[8] to a Jewish family in theUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic,Soviet Union.[9][10] After the death of their mother, the three-year-old twins and their older brother Leonid were brought by their father, Semyon (Simon) to New York in December 1979.[11][12] Their father worked as a furniture mover when he arrived and taught himself English.[13] The family lived in theBrighton Beach neighborhood ofBrooklyn. Vindman appears briefly with his maternal grandmother in the 1985Ken Burns documentaryThe Statue of Liberty.[11][12]
In 1997, Vindman graduated from theState University of New York at Binghamton inBinghamton, New York, with abachelor of arts degree in history.[14] He later received amaster of science degree in general administration fromCentral Michigan University,[13] ajuris doctor from theUniversity of Georgia School of Law,[15] and amaster of laws from theJudge Advocate General's Legal Center and School.[13]
Vindman was commissioned as an officer in theUnited States Army after receiving his bachelor degree and he rose to the rank ofcolonel.[1] He served for 25 years as aparatrooper, infantryman, aJudge Advocate General's Corps attorney,[13] and was deployed to Iraq.[16]
Vindman retired from the Army in 2022.[17] He retired at the rank oflieutenant colonel because he did not serve the full time required to retire as a colonel. Vindman's campaign literature has referred to him as a "Retired U.S. Colonel" or "Army Colonel Retired". After Vindman was questioned about the discrepancy, his campaign began to refer to him as a "former colonel".[18] His military decorations include theDefense Superior Service Medal, theLegion of Merit, sixMeritorious Service Medals, aJoint Service Commendation Medal, threeArmy Commendation Medals, and threeArmy Achievement Medals.[13]
During theTrump administration in 2018, Vindman was assigned as a deputy legal adviser to theNational Security Council (NSC), where he was the senior ethics official.[13] He was involved in reportingPresident Trump's attempt to coerce Ukraine into investigating President Biden and he faced retaliation by thatTrump administration for his actions.[19][3]
In the line of his duties on July 25, 2019,Alexander Vindman listened to a telephone call betweenPresident Trump andUkrainian President Zelensky and was concerned by the contents, saying that he "did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen", and "was worried about the implications for theU.S. Government's support of Ukraine". Alexander believed that the call would "undermineU.S. national security". Alexander immediately reported the call to Eugene Vindman, the lead ethics attorney and a deputy legal advisor, who recognized the serious legal ramification of the call, including violations of law, as well as the legal and political jeopardy President Trump faced. Eugene Vindman advised that they both further report the call through channels to the lead counsel of theNSC,John Eisenberg.[20]
Vindman had two more conversations with Eisenberg about the July 25, 2019, telephone call. The first follow-up conversation occurred on August 1, 2019. Vindman sought to clarify with Eisenberg their role and obligations as attorneys, and whether as attorneys they were duty-bound to represent theOffice of the President of the United States or, the individual serving asPresident. Vindman had a second conversation with Eisenberg on August 5, 2019, when he conveyed his concern that President Trump's request that President Zelensky investigate President Trump's political rival may have violated theFederal Bribery Statute, theForeign Corrupt Practices Act, and federal election laws. Once knowledge of the call became public, both brothers received threats and denunciation and they reached out to the Army regarding the safety of their families.[21]
Eugene helped his brother throughoutPresident Trump's first impeachment, which went from December 18, 2019, to February 5, 2020, including by drafting the portion of the opening statement where Alexander Vindman assured their father that he had made the right decision in emigrating from theSoviet Union to the United States.[22] Alexander stated, "In Russia, my act of ... offering public testimony involving the President would surely cost me my life. I am grateful for my father's brave act of hope 40 years ago and for the privilege of being an American citizen and public servant, where I can live free of fear for mine [sic] and my family's safety. Dad, my sitting here today, in theU.S. Capitol talking to our elected officials is proof that you made the right decision forty years ago to leave the Soviet Union and come here to United States of America in search of a better life for our family. Do not worry, I will be fine for telling the truth."
On February 10, 2020, then-Senate Minority LeaderChuck Schumer (D-NY) sent a letter in an apparent response to the firing of the two brothers that requested federal Inspectors General to investigate possible retaliation against "anyone who has made, or in the future makes, protected disclosures of presidential misconduct".[23] On February 13, Trump's formerchief of staff, retired Marine GeneralJohn Kelly, defended Vindman's actions and testimony. "He did exactly what we teach them to do from cradle to grave. He went and told his boss what he just heard", Kelly said.
During a panel discussion in February 2020, at theAtlantic Council, Trump'sNational Security Advisor,Robert C. O'Brien said it was his decision to remove both Vindman brothers from the NSC staff and denied that the move was ordered by Trump in retaliation for Vindman's testimony. O'Brien also disputed the removal from the NSC staff was a "firing" since both brothers remained active-duty Army officers. O'Brien said that their transfer was part of a larger NSA staff reduction. His remarks contradicted Trump, however, who tweeted that he had ousted Vindman for insubordination and for doing "a lot of bad things".[24]
Vindman held the rank of colonel on active duty, but retired as a lieutenant colonel because he had not served the minimum requirement of three years service in grade in order to retain the rank in retirement.[25] In 2022, his supporters called onPresident Biden to allow Yevgeny to retire as a colonel.[26] Vindman commented that retiring at the rank of colonel would not affect his retirement compensation and would be merely “honorific”.[27] The Army declined to submit a request to adjust Vindman's retirement status to President Joe Biden, telling the media that time-in-grade waivers were extremely rare, with "only three such waivers for Army officers since 1997".[27] Vindman's attorney,Mark Zaid, who is a founder of the nonprofit,Whistleblower Aid, that offers legal services to others such as Yevgeny, emphasized that the White House's failure to address the request about Vindman's retirement status might deter officials from speaking out about potential government wrongdoing in the future.[27]
Since 2022, Vindman has held the position of Director of Military Analysis and Prosecution Support for the Atrocity Crimes Advisory (ACA) group.[28] The ACA was formed by the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom as an operational hub coordinating assistance to theOffice of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. This collaboration aims to investigate and prosecute those responsible for war crimes committed on Ukrainian soil.[28]
In March 2023, Eugene Vindman, together with his twin brother Alexander Vindman, initiated the Trident Support project. Its primary goal is to set up a weapon maintenance and training facility within Ukraine.[29] Within Trident Support, the Vindman brothers aim to enlist 100–200 adept Western contractors to collaborate withUkrainian forces close to the front lines, offering training on mending battle-affected equipment provided by Western countries.[29]
In November 2023, Vindman announced that he would run for theUnited States House of Representatives inVirginia's 7th District, where incumbent DemocratAbigail Spanberger was not seeking reelection.[30][31] Vindman received endorsements fromAdam Schiff, former Under Secretary of the ArmyPatrick Murphy, and the editorial board ofThe Washington Post.[32][33]
Despite being a newcomer to politics, Vindman was able to fundraise based on his national profile and quickly became a frontrunner in the Democratic primary.[34] He raised $5 million and had $876,000 on hand as of May 29, 2024, in addition to a combined $1.3 million inindependent expenditures fromcryptocurrency advocacy group Protect Progress PAC andVoteVets.[35] In contrast, Vindman's national profile and disconnect from local politics was being criticized regularly by local Democratic activists and elected officials.[33][36] In April 2024, Vindman also was criticized on social media after he was photographed alongside supporters in a now-deleted post toTwitter holding a flag used duringVirginia's Confederate period.[37][36][38]
On June 18, 2024, Vindman won the Democratic primary.[5] On November 5, 2024, Vindman won the general election, defeating Republican Derrick Anderson.[7]
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Vindman was named as a member of the United States House Committee on Agriculture and the United States Armed Services Committee for the 119th United States Congress.[39]
In August 2024,The Washington Free Beacon reported the Vindman campaign was facing two ethics complaints with theFederal Election Commission over whether the campaign had illegally coordinated with outsidesuper PACs in April 2024.[40]
In April 2025, it was reported that Vindman's campaign spent $38,783 in funds labeled as a "fundraising expense" at a Florida bookstore that hosted his brother's book signing events,[41] and was the subject of another FEC complaint filed by a conservative watchdog group.[42]
Vindman is married to Cindy Vindman (née Groff). They have two children.[44]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eugene Vindman | 17,263 | 49.3 | |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Guzmán | 5,283 | 15.1 | |
| Democratic | Briana Sewell | 4,706 | 13.4 | |
| Democratic | Andrea Bailey | 4,381 | 12.5 | |
| Democratic | Margaret Franklin | 2,034 | 5.8 | |
| Democratic | Carl Bedell | 738 | 2.1 | |
| Democratic | Clifford Heinzer | 621 | 1.8 | |
| Total votes | 35,026 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eugene Vindman | 203,336 | 51.2 | |
| Republican | Derrick Anderson | 192,847 | 48.5 | |
| Write-in | 1,116 | 0.3 | ||
| Total votes | 397,299 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
In fact, Vindman, Parnas, and Fruman were able to immigrate to the U.S. precisely because they are Jewish.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 7th congressional district 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 428th | Succeeded by |
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