Apparently, the war in Ukraine is all Donald Trump’s fault. And Trump becoming president was all Vladimir Putin’s in the first place. There are two different outlets supporting Alex Vindman’s claims on this point, Vice and Salon. The truth is that there’s an awful lot of politics in this and not a great deal of verifiable evidence. For example, from Vice:
Trump was impeached by the House in late 2019 for demanding that Ukraine investigate Biden while withholding hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of military aid the embattled country needed to defend itself against Russia.
If we could just remind that “impeachment” is not a trial. It’s the committal to a trial which then takes place in the Senate. Where, of course, Trump was found not guilty. So using evidence of anot guilty verdict to prove the claim looks a little weak to be honest.
From Salon, quoting the Washington Post:
The Vladimir Putin who planned, staged and launched a large-scale war on Ukraine is the same Vladimir Putin who ordered an aggressive, multifaceted, clandestine campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Putin’s Ukraine goal: pull that country from the West and back into Russia’s sphere of influence. His U.S. goal in 2016: undermine the democratic process, disparage and undercut Hillary Clinton and her campaign for president, and help elect Donald Trump.
Well, yes, we’re pretty sure we’re reading more and more evidence of how the Russia dossier was in fact created alongside – at least – the Clinton campaign rather than anywhere else.
But here’s the real point here. Vindman is also “U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, now retired.” Both articles are based on his statements. Neither article questions his statements, either.
He’s now suing.
Oh. So claims that the ex-president is entirely responsible for a megalomaniac dictator invading Ukraine are based upon the evidence of someone suing over his evidence that the ex-President is responsible for Putin’s invasion?
Salon is a mainstay of the very progressive end of the political media and gains some 8 million visits and month. Vice is very much larger and not only gains some 30 million visits but also has a cable channel that reaches 60 million American households and a substantial YouTube audience.
Both could do better here. To report what Vindman claims, that’s fair enough, but good journalism would require a little examination of his claims. Possibly even a discussion here and there of their veracity. The bias is to accept what is it desired is true – that Trump is to blame for everything – rather than examine such claims.