MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Friday led the debate audience in a standing ovation for Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.
Mr. Biden said Lt. Col. Vindman, who earlier in the day was escorted out of the White House and reassigned from the National Security Council after testifying against President Trump at the impeachment inquiry, deserved better treatment from Mr. Trump.
“He should be pinning a medal on Vindman and not on Rush Limbaugh,” Mr. Biden said.
He referred to Mr. Trump presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the conservative talk radio host Tuesday during the State of the Union speech.
Mr. Biden then called on the crowd of roughly 1,500 people in the debate audience to applaud for Lt. Col. Vindman.
“I think we should all stand and give Col. Vindman a show of how much we supported him,” he said. “Stand up and clap for Vindman. Get up there.”
The display came shortly after Lt. Col. Vindman and Gordon Sondland, who both testified against Mr. Trump, were ousted from their jobs.
Lt. Col. Vindman was escorted from the White House ground Friday, according to his lawyer, who said his client was ejected “for telling the truth.”
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said Lt. Col. Vindman hasn’t lost his career and that he will return to a job at the Pentagon without retaliation.
Mr. Sondland, the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, said Friday that Mr. Trump recalled him from his post “effective immediately.”
In the House impeachment inquiry, Mr. Sondland testified that many people close to the president were “in the loop” about a pressure campaign against Ukraine to dig up dirt on Mr. Biden.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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