Donald Trump raps Purple Heart colonel for wearing his uniform during his bombshell testimony when Army regulations say full dress attire is 'appropriate'

President Donald Trump rapped impeachment witness Lt. Col Alexander Vindman for wearing his dress Army uniform to Tuesday's blockbuster congressional hearing. 

The president, who is Vindman's commander in chief, made the statement from the White House while Democrats were brandishing the Iraq War vet's Purple Heart and the Republican Intelligence Committee counsel tried to scuff up his reputation by questioning him about a job offer from the Ukrainian government. 

'I don't know him,' Trump said of Vindman, speaking from the Oval Office while the key witness was getting grilled while wearing his dress uniform adorned with decorations in a televised hearing.

'I never saw the man. I understand now he wears his uniform when he goes in. No, I don't know Vindman at all. What I do know is that even he said that the transcript was correct,' said Trump, who received multiple military deferments during Vietnam but wore a uniform when attending military school.

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National Security Council aide Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman wore his full dress military uniform at Tuesday's House impeachment inquiry. Army rules state that the military uniform is 'appropriate' when business attire is called for

Vindman wore the same uniform for his closed-door deposition last month, although he wore a suit when he returned to the Capitol to review his testimony. 

Army regulations state that a dress uniform is 'appropriate' for formal instances like a hearing.  

'For instance, when an invitation calls for business attire, the appropriate Army uniform is the service or dress uniform,' Army Regulation 670-1 states. Military brass wear dress uniform when routinely speaking in Congress about military matters and budgets, although in this case, Vindman was providing testimony that undermined President Trump. 

Vindman apparently does not wear his uniform when he goes to the White House, according to a GOP member who was armed with the information and brought it up. 

Republican Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah brought up Vindman's dress during questioning. 'Lt. Col. Vindman, I see you're wearing your dress uniform. Knowing that's not the uniform of the day, that you normally wear a suit to the White House, I think it's a great reminder of your military service. I too come from a military family,' Stewart said.  

He was stating that Vindman wears a suit when he is an advisor at the National Security Counsel.  

But Stewart defended his colleague, Rep. Devin Nunes of California, who was admonished by Vindman when failing to refer to him as a military officer. 

'Ranking member, it's Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, please,' the Army colonel told Nunes.

Stewart asked Vindman during questioning: 'Do you always insist on civilians calling you by your name?'

'I'm in military wearing my military rank. I thought it was appropriate to stick with that,' Vindman responded, and brought up 'attacks' he has faced on Twitter that he said 'marginalized' his service. 

'I'm just telling you the ranking member meant no disrespect to you,' Stewart told him.

Later in the hearing, Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney brought up the attack on the uniform, and pointed to regulations.

'Seems like if anybody gets to wear the uniform, it's somebody who's got a breast plate with those commendations on it,' he said, referencing the Purple Heart and insignia for serving in combat under fire.