Trump whistleblower turned Democratic congressional candidate Eugene Vindman is facing multiple Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaints—filed in response to a Washington Free Beacon report—alleging his campaign is illegally coordinating with an outside super PAC.
When the Free Beacon emailed Vindman’s campaign to inquire about a discrepancy in his military record, campaign manager Jeremy Levinson copied VoteVets political director Travis Tazelaar and said to direct "all future questions" to the PAC staffer. Both the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) and the Functional Government Initiative said that amounted to an illegal contribution and called on the FEC to investigate the Vindman campaign and the left-wing political action committee.
"The facts are clear in this case, VoteVets PAC is providing communications services to Vindman’s campaign, including making statements to the media that are directly attributable to the campaign," the FACT complaint, filed Thursday, stated. "This is a service that has value and thus there is reason to believe that Vindman has accepted, and VoteVets has made, an illegal in-kind contribution of communication services."
FACT executive director Kendra Arnold said Levinson and Tazelaar’s emails "make the facts and evidence straightforward."
"This is a very simple case, but an extremely significant one," Arnold told the Free Beacon. She also pointed out that, according to FEC filings, VoteVets has spent more than $400,000 on ads supporting Vindman's bid for Virginia’s seventh district. The PAC has also endorsed Vindman and directly contributed $10,000 to his campaign.
"VoteVets is obviously not independent from the campaign and cannot make ‘independent expenditures,’" the complaint stated. "This provides clear reason to believe Vindman and VoteVets have already illegally coordinated on more than $400,000 in supportive advocacy advertisements paid for by VoteVets. We respectfully request the Commission immediately investigate the Respondents for these apparent violations of federal law and require the Vindman campaign to repay all illegal in-kind contributions should they be confirmed."
The FEC must "act quickly to ensure the campaign is responsible for repaying any illegal in-kind contributions and that it does so during this election cycle," Arnold said.
Vindman's brother, Alexander, is a senior adviser to VoteVets. The liberal PAC has paid Alexander's LLC, Here Right Matters, more than $100,000 for "strategic management consulting" since 2023. Vindman cofounded a tax-exempt nonprofit with his brother under the same name and serves as its "Secretary/Treasurer and Director," according to his financial disclosure. The foundation and the LLC share office space and are located next door to his campaign headquarters.
In 2011, Vindman was deployed to Iraq, serving in Operation New Dawn as an operational law attorney. He routinely says he "fought for our nation in combat" and "used assault-style weapons on the battlefield." But a 2019 Daily Mail piece said he "has not seen combat."
The Free Beacon asked the Vindman campaign about the discrepancy. That’s when Tazelaar became involved.
"I am looping in VoteVets who is going to be providing comment on our behalf to your initial inquiry," Levinson wrote in an email. "All future questions on this matter or any matters can be directed to him."
"There was no front line in Iraq—and the Vindman family was grateful that Eugene was able to return home unscathed while so many other of our brothers and sisters in arms did not," the VoteVets political director said on behalf of Vindman's campaign.
The statement was unremarkable, but it was enough to catch ethics experts’ attention. Shortly after the Free Beacon published the exchange, the Functional Government Initiative filed its own complaint. Its charges were similar to FACT’s.
"On its face, Mr. Tazelaar’s services to the campaign go beyond those of a typical volunteer," the complaint stated. "Indeed, the record shows that Mr. Tazelaar appears to be acting effectively as the press secretary for the Vindman Campaign. Answering all future questions on any subject is what a press secretary or communications director does. It is not a function typically performed by a volunteer."
Vindman did not respond to a request for comment. The FEC said it does not comment on complaints "as the enforcement process is confidential."
Meanwhile, VoteVets’s legal counsel, David Mitrani, did not comment on FACT’s complaint but told the Free Beacon that "the claims made in Functional Government Initiative’s complaint are simply false" and that "VoteVets’ activities are in full compliance with campaign finance laws."
The mounting complaints could lead to embarrassing and expensive fines for Vindman as he campaigns to defeat his Republican opponent, former Army Green Beret Derrick Anderson, in one of the nation’s most competitive House races. They’re competing to fill a seat vacated by Abigail Spanberger (D.), who is not seeking reelection in order to run for governor.
Before entering the race, Vindman, along with his brother Alexander, blew the whistle on former president Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, a move that led to Trump’s first impeachment. Capitalizing on the media attention, Vindman raised millions of dollars for his congressional campaign, which helped him secure a decisive victory in a crowded June primary.
Update, 10:45 a.m.: This story has been updated to show Vindman's involvement with a nonprofit he cofounded with his brother.