Senate Democrat defends Vindman against Musk's 'treason' threat

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) hit Elon Musk for suggesting in a post on his social platform X on Wednesday that retired Army Lt. Col Alexander Vindman “committed treason” and “will pay” after the former Trump impeachment witness accused the tech billionaire and close Trump ally of being unwittingly used by Russia.

"Message to Elon Musk—The Vindman family embodies patriotism and public service. You know nothing about either," Kaine wrote in a post on X on Friday with a link to The Hill's reporting on the situation.

Vindman replied to Kaine's post, saying, "Thank you! Thank you very much, Senator."

The Hill has contacted X for comment from Musk.

The back-and-forth on social media between Musk and Vindman began on Wednesday, when the tech mogul threatened Vindman, in response to a recent interview, in which Vindman said Musk was Russian leader Vladimir Putin's "type."

“Clearly Putin has a type. He likes narcissists and egomaniacs that he knows as a case officer can easily pander to manipulate, to do his dirty work,” Vindman said in the late October interview, which circulated among X users this week. “Russia has been using different levers — whether that’s corruption networks, in this case, its influencers like Donald Trump, like Elon Musk, to kind of sow discord.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Musk had been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022.

“Vindman is on the payroll of Ukranian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X earlier this week. He also said that Vindman, who played a central role in the first impeachment of then-President Trump, “will pay the appropriate penalty.”

In a response on X, Vindman said Musk’s comments were “false and completely unfounded accusations," and maintained that he had never taken money from Ukrainian oligarchs.

Musk’s remarks vowing a penalty come as Trump has faced scrutiny over his repeated vows to take revenge on his perceived enemies once he returns to the Oval Office. Critics have sounded the alarm over the former president’s promise as they worry a second Trump term will lack some of the guardrails that existed during his first term.

Musk has become a close ally of Trump and a regular presence alongside the president-elect during the transition, most recently spending Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago.

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