Trump alleged retaliation against Vindman
On February 10, 2020, then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck 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". On February 13, Trump's former chief of staff, retired Marine General John 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 the Atlantic Council, Trump's National 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 that 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".
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. In 2022, his supporters called on President Biden to allow Yevgeny to retire as a colonel. Vindman commented that retiring at the rank of colonel would not affect his retirement compensation and would be merely “honorific”. The Army declined to submit to President Joe Biden a request to adjust Vindman's retirement status, telling the media that time-in-grade waivers were extremely rare, with "only three such waivers for Army officers since 1997". 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.
