Vindman Chides Nunes for Not Addressing Him By Rank in Tense Hearing Clash: ‘It’s Lt. Col. Vindman’

After a largely quiet first hour, Tuesday’s House Intelligence impeachment hearing ignited during the second hour — with one of the day’s witnesses chiding the ranking congressman in a particularly tense moment.

In questioning Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the director for European affairs for the National Security Council, House Intel ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) attempted to gather information about government officials who were privy to the July 25 phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. House Intel chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) viewed this line of inquiry as a veiled attempt to out the whistleblower, and called a halt to the questioning.

“If I could interject here, we don’t want to use these proceedings—” Schiff said.

“It’s our time,” Nunes said.

“I know, but we need to protect the whistleblower,” Schiff said. He added, “I want to make sure that there’s no effort to out the whistleblower through these proceedings. If the witness has a good faith belief that this may reveal the identity of the whistleblower, that is not the purpose that we are here for, and I want to advise the witness accordingly.”

Nunes then followed up.

“Mr. Vindman, you testified in your deposition that you did not know the whistleblower,” Nunes said.

And then, in a moment evocative of A Few Good Men, Lt. Col. Vindman chided Nunes for addressing him as “Mr. Vindman,” rather than by his rank.

“Ranking member, it’s Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, please,” Vindman shot back.

The questioning continued for several more minutes, with Nunes continuing to pick away, before Vindman’s attorney eventually shut down the inquiry and Nunes yielded to the minority’s designated counsel.

Watch above, via CNN.