[JTN] Pentagon is raising questions about Vindman’s private business efforts in Ukraine while he worked on a State Department-funded project. The Department of War is calling for an ethics inquiry into Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., over business deals he and his brother — retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman — struck in Ukraine while Eugene was simultaneously part of a State Department-funded inquiry into Russian atrocities in Ukraine.
The Pentagon's General Counsel Earl Matthews sent the November letter to House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., as well as to the leaders of the House Armed Services and Oversight Committees.
The letters urged an ethics-related inquiry into the efforts undertaken by Eugene — elected to Congress in 2024 — and by his brother Alexander as the brothers each worked with U.S. defense companies and the Ukrainian government to pursue potentially lucrative contracts in the war-torn country at the same time as Eugene was also being funded by the State Department for Russian war crimes work in Ukraine.
Rep. Vindman's authorized biography says that "On July 25, 2019, Eugene's twin brother, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who also served on the NSC, listened in on President Donald Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky," during which time Vindman claimed that "Trump attempted to extort Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden. Alex reported the call to Eugene, and together they reported it up the chain of command. Trump was impeached for this attack on democracy but was never held accountable. Two days after he was acquitted by the Senate, he fired Alex and Eugene from the White House."
BROTHERS SOUGHT TO PERFORM SERVICES FOR UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT, PENTAGON SAYS
"They founded their company to perform services for the Ukrainian government in exchange for money and to represent American companies seeking to do business with the Ukrainian government for money," Matthews wrote in his ethics letter. "They were required to seek the pre-approval of the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of State."
Matthews added: "As retired U.S. Army officers, just as they could not become direct civil employees of the Ukrainian government without obtaining the prior approval of both the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of State, they could also not lawfully provide ’consulting’ or ’defense services’ through their ’consulting firm’ to the Ukrainian government without first obtaining the permission of the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of State. If any U.S. military retiree could simply form a ’consulting firm’ and immediately start providing services to a foreign government without the required Secretarial approvals, it would make a mockery of the law."
The Vindman brothers also played key roles in the Ukraine-related Trump impeachment effort in 2019 and early 2020.
Eugene’s campaign website last year specifically touted the fact that he had worked for the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) in Ukraine for a year and a half, and that he had done so as part of a "Department of State funded program." Eugene was described in interviews as having been the Director of Military Analysis and Prosecution Support for the ACA.
Georgetown University was the organization designated by the State Department as the lead agency for the ACA, and the school has said it received $10 million in the fall of 2022, another $8.5 million in the spring of 2024, and another $3 million earlier this month.
THE VINDMANS AND THE SHADOWY "TRIDENT SUPPORT" GROUP
During interviews with Ukrainian government-linked outlets and with local Virginia newspapers, the overlap between Eugene’s work for the State Department-backed ACA and his role in a so-called Trident Support business effort in Ukraine run by himself and his brother was apparent, as he discussed both efforts in both interviews.
During the April 2023 interview with Ukrinform — the Ukrainian National News Agency — Eugene also noted that "on my latest trip to Ukraine, very unexpectedly, I received an award from the Defense Ministry, the Badge of Honor. So once again, thank you to the Ukrainian people and Slava Ukraini!"
The apparent intersection of Eugene’s work on a State Department-funded contract and his connection with Trident in Ukraine has raised eyebrows.
Although Trident describes itself a "non-governmental agency," Just the News was unable to directly locate any corporate records or reports indicating if Trident is recognized as a non-profit charity.
PEOPLE FAMILIAR SAY VINDMANS SHOULD HAVE SOUGHT APPROVAL
A senior defense official who insisted upon anonymity due to the sensitivity of the inquiry told Just the News that the Vindman brothers were attempting to work with the Ukrainian government, and that whether or not they were successful, they should’ve gotten proper permission.
The defense official said the main focus by the Pentagon is on Eugene seeking to do work with a foreign government without seeking proper approval from the U.S. military as required, but that the fact that he was drumming up business while being funded by the State Department is certainly interesting as well.
Matthews said that "a preliminary review of Department of War records has found no indication" that Rep. Eugene Vindman nor his brother and business partner, retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, "sought or obtained the approval of the Secretary of the Army or the Secretary of State to provide defense services to the government of Ukraine over the course of the two and a half years that they operated Trident Support LLC."
A financial disclosure form filed by Eugene in August 2024 covering the time period from January 2023 to July 2024 stated the value of an entity called Trident was between $500,000 to $1 million. The disclosure form also said the future congressman’s salary from Trident had been $76,995 during the filing period and $125,000 during the prior year. The now-congressman filed in July 2025 a disclosure form where he said that he had resigned from Trident in 2024.
Eugene did not respond to a request for comment sent to him through his congressional office. Vindman did not respond to a request for comment sent to him through his Here Right Matters Foundation.
The Democratic congressman had responded to the letter from the Pentagon’s general counsel back in November by claiming that "unlike the President, I have nothing to hide. Donald Trump and his lackeys are working overtime to weaponize the government against his political opponents."
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Eugene Vindman 11/26/2025 Vindman Brothers, Who Helped Impeach Trump In 2020, Are Now Under Investigation
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Alexander Vindman 11/26/2025 Vindman Brothers, Who Helped Impeach Trump In 2020, Are Now Under Investigation
Alexander Vindman 05/20/2025 Dem Rep. Eugene Vindman hit with FEC complaint after campaign promoted twin brother's book
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Alexander Vindman 05/20/2025 Dem Rep. Eugene Vindman hit with FEC complaint after campaign promoted twin brother's book
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