A Virginia congressional candidate whose brother was a key witness in the first impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump is facing charges of campaign finance violations and lying about his military record.
Campaign staff for Eugene Vindman, the Democratic candidate for Virginia's 7th Congressional District, have referred media inquiries about his military record to VoteVets, a political action committee (PAC) that supports progressive veteran candidates. VoteVets is supporting Vindman, a former Army infantry officer and Army lawyer.
Two watchdog groups, the Functional Government Initiative and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, have filed separate complaints with the Federal Election Commission alleging illegal coordination between the campaign and the super PAC. The FEC complaint alleges that VoteVets PAC provided services to the Vindman campaign by managing its press inquiries.
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Alex Vindman, left, and Eugene Vindman stand outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 13, 2024. VoteVets held a press conference with senators and representatives pushing the Ukraine aid bill. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for VoteVets)
“The law is clear that providing services to a campaign is an in-kind donation. Communications is typically paid for by the campaign, not a super PAC making a statement,” Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Public Trust (FACT), told Fox News Digital.
Eugene Vindman is the brother of Col. Alexander Vindman, a former member of the National Security Council who testified in the 2019 House Intelligence Committee investigation into President Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The investigation led to the initial push by House Democrats to impeach President Trump.
Eugene Vindman is facing off against Republican Derrick Anderson, a former Army Green Beret.
FACT based its complaint on email records between a reporter at the Washington Free Beacon, Vindman's campaign manager and Travis Tazeler, political director of VoteVets PAC.
“We've seen campaigns push the envelope on super PACs before, but this isn't just pushing the envelope; this is an obvious in-kind donation,” Arnold said.
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Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, brother of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director of European affairs for the National Security Council, appears again at the House Intelligence Committee hearing on the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, in Longworthville. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“We have reached out to VoteVets, who will be providing comment on our behalf in response to initial inquiries,” Vindman's campaign manager, Jeremy Levinson, said in an email to a Washington Free Beacon reporter last month.
The campaign manager added, “You are welcome to ask him any future questions about this or any other matter.”
Saying “or any matter” is problematic, Arnold said.
“FEC investigations typically take a long time, and we are hopeful that this matter will be handled expeditiously, given the circumstances,” Arnold said. “The Vindman campaign has referred reporters to VoteVets on this and other issues.”
In this case, Tazeler issued a statement on Vindman's behalf in response to a media inquiry from the Free Beacon.
A spokesman for Vindman's campaign denied the FEC complaint.
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“The bottom line is that we worked with the VoteVets organizational coordinators to respond to Free Beacon's activities,” a spokesperson for Vindman's campaign told Fox News Digital. “FEC rules make it clear that this interaction did not violate any rules and does not constitute an in-kind contribution.”
Similarly, VoteVets general counsel David Mitrani said there were no FEC violations.
Eugene Vindman is running as the Democratic candidate to represent Virginia's 7th Congressional District. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“The allegations in the Functional Government Initiative's complaint are completely false,” Mitrani told Fox News Digital in a statement. “VoteVets' activities are fully compliant with campaign finance laws.”
The statement addressed only one complaint. In a follow-up email, a VoteVets spokesperson said the statement was intended to address complaints from both the Functional Government Initiative and the Accountability and Citizens Trust Foundation.
The six-member Federal Election Commission is made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, and decisions often end in a tie vote.
The federal law on coordinated communications, or 11 CFR 109.21(h), 11 CFR 106.1(c)(1), provides for when campaign expenses are “paid in whole or in part by a person other than the candidate, the sanctioning committee, or the party committee.” The law also prohibits outside “vendors” from developing “media strategies, including the selection or purchase of advertising inventory,” developing “content for public communications,” and “producing public communications” within 120 days of an election.
The campaign finance dispute stems from questions about Vindman's military record.
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As the 2024 congressional race heats up, questions are being raised about whether Virginia Democratic House candidate Eugene Vindman may have embellished his military record. (AP Photo/Charles Darapac, File)
Vindman's Republican opponent, Derrick Anderson, said Vindman “should answer any legitimate questions about whether he exaggerated his military record.”
“I respect that he served in the military, but voters deserve answers – they don't need D.C. politicians running away from them,” Anderson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “As of now, Vindman won't even debate me on TV because he's unwilling to answer questions about the simple fact that he hasn't been honest with voters about his record.”
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Vindman previously said he “fought for our country in combat.” According to a 2019 Daily Mail article, Vindman “I did not participate in the fighting” in mid-August The Washington Free Beacon reported. When contacted, Vindman's campaign manager Levinson copied VoteVets Tazelaar and referred “all future questions” to the PAC.
In a response to the Beacon, a VoteVets spokesperson was quoted as saying, “There was no front line in Iraq. The Vindman family is grateful that Eugene returned home unscathed while so many of his fellow veterans were not able to.”
