Trump’s Revenge: The Vindman Brothers Targeted

Ed Martin, then-president of the Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, speaks during a news conference outside ... [+]Getty Images

It’s Not Even Two Months In—And Trump’s Retribution Is Already Underway

It’s not even two months in, and while Trump has us distracted with an onslaught of news, wrecking the economy, and a barrage of illegal executive orders, his appointees are quietly embedding themselves into agencies, setting the stage for the full-scale weaponization of the federal government. We don’t need to wait for some hypothetical dictatorship in a second term—it’s already happening.

Trump’s regime is systematically gutting key agencies, hollowing out expertise, and replacing career professionals with loyalists. The purges have already begun, ensuring that federal power is concentrated entirely in the hands of those willing to execute his authoritarian agenda. And now, Trump is turning that power against his political enemies.

Targeting the Vindmans

Trump’s regime has fixated on silencing political opponents, with the Vindman brothers as one of its early targets. Trump’s handpicked interim U.S. attorney in D.C., Ed Martin, has launched a blatant campaign of intimidation against Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Virginia) and his brother, demanding financial records tied to their work supporting Ukraine. Alexander Vindman, a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment, stood up to Trump’s corruption and paid a heavy price. Now, both brothers are facing investigation and harassment—all because Trump wants revenge.

But Vindman isn’t just one of Trump’s top targets—the brothers are also high on Russia’s list. Since Alexander Vindman’s role in exposing Trump’s extortion of Ukraine, he has been vilified by Russian state media and targeted by Kremlin-aligned actors who view him as an obstacle to their geopolitical ambitions. The brothers’ support for Ukraine’s military resistance against Russia’s genocidal war has only heightened the threat against them.

Russian propaganda has repeatedly painted them as puppets of the so-called “Deep State” and agents of Western intelligence—while the Kremlin's disinformation networks have spread lies about them, attempting to discredit their heroic service to America and advocacy for Ukraine.

Adding fuel to the fire, unelected billionaire Elon Musk recently used his platform to attack the Vindmans, amplifying right-wing conspiracy theories and pushing Kremlin propaganda. On X, Musk accused retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman of “committing treason” and warned that he “will pay” after Vindman called out Musk for being manipulated by Russia.

This isn’t just about personal retaliation—it’s also about silencing key voices in the fight against Russian aggression. Trump’s assault on the Vindmans isn’t happening in a vacuum; it aligns perfectly with Russia’s interests. And now, Trump is weaponizing the U.S. government against them.

Who is Ed Martin, and Why Does His Role Matter?

By nominating Ed Martin as U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Trump has installed a loyalist in one of the most powerful prosecutorial positions in the country. The D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office oversees cases of national importance—federal corruption, congressional investigations, and prosecutions with political stakes. With Martin in charge, Trump has turned the office into a weapon, ensuring federal prosecutions serve his agenda, not justice.

Martin has made his loyalties clear. He has defended Jan. 6 rioters, framed insurrectionists and rioters as victims, and attacked prosecutors who held them accountable. His office dropped a campaign finance case against ex-Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), refused to charge Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) with domestic violence and openly signaled plans to target Trump’s enemies—including Democrats, the media, and progressive groups.

He even called the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office “President Trump’s lawyers,” pledging to go after organizations that don’t “put America first.” A staunch election denier, Martin has also threatened legal action against anyone who opposes Elon Musk, aligning the power of his office with Trump’s billionaire donors. With Martin in charge, Trump now has a loyal enforcer running prosecutions in the heart of Washington, turning the justice system into a tool for political retaliation.

Destroying the Legal System: A Direct Attack on Opposition

This is just the beginning. Trump has spent years planning this purge, and now it’s in motion. He’s not just targeting Vindman—he’s dismantling the legal system itself.

Trump has stripped security clearances from attorneys at Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling, punishing firms that challenged him in court. He’s also banned their lawyers from federal buildings, blocking them from representing clients in government cases. This is straight out of Putin’s playbook—using state power to silence opposition and make legal defense impossible. This is illegal, and this is authoritarian!

The impact is immediate. Law firms are losing clients, lawyers fear retaliation, and the message is clear: challenge Trump, and you’ll pay. This isn’t just political revenge—it’s the systematic destruction of independent justice.

When lawyers are too afraid to defend Trump’s targets, the rule of law collapses. If this continues, America’s legal system will look a lot more like Russia’s—where the only law that matters is the dictator’s.

Federal Agencies Are Now Trump’s Weapons

And make no mistake—this is just the opening salvo. The Department of Justice, the FBI, the IRS, and every federal agency under Trump’s control will be weaponized against his perceived “enemies.” He’s purging officials who oversaw January 6 cases, replacing them with loyalists. He’s blocking clean energy grants simply because they contradict his extremist far-right agenda. He’s actively dismantling the legal profession’s ability to hold him accountable. And he is threatening to ignore the courts.

The Death of Democracy Happens While We Watch

This is how democracies die—not in one dramatic moment, but through a steady erosion of checks and balances while people are too distracted to fight back.

And Trump’s revenge tour is just getting started…

We don’t have the luxury of waiting to see how bad it will get—we already know the answer. Trump is taking pages directly from the authoritarian playbook, and the only thing standing in his way is us paying attention, documenting everything, sounding the alarm, uniting, and pushing back.

Please 🙏 do not let this become our new normal.