The White House attacked its own top Ukraine official as he testified to an impeachment hearing that a phone call made by the president was “improper” and had left him in “shock”.
Lt Col Alexander Vindman told Congress that President Donald Trump made “inappropriate” political demands of the Ukrainian president.
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” Lt Col Vindman said.
The hearings are investigating whether Mr Trump abused his presidential power.
A decorated Iraq war veteran who serves in a senior role on the US National Security Council (NSC), Lt Col Vindman testified before the House on Tuesday in his Army dress uniform.
As he described his reaction to hearing a call between President Trump and his Ukranian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelensky, Lt Col Vindman came under attack by the official White House Twitter account, which posted a critical quote from his former boss on the NSC questioning his judgement.
Republican congressmen pressed Lt Col Vindman on the remark and questioned his loyalty to the US – asking about instances in which Ukrainian officials approached him about becoming the country’s defence minister.
