Fred Wellman: Service, Democracy, and the Fight for America’s Future
From Kyiv, journalist Chris Sampson speaks with retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Fred Wellman, a four-tour combat veteran, former Lincoln Project strategist, and current congressional candidate in Missouri’s 2nd District.
The conversation ranges from the cost-of-living crisis facing working Americans to the lessons the United States still refuses to learn from Ukraine’s war against Russia. Wellman argues that Congress has abandoned its constitutional responsibilities, that corruption and corporate influence dominate American politics, and that veterans understand something too many politicians do not: leadership carries consequences measured in lives.
Broadcast from Ukraine during wartime, this episode of The Wire Tap explores what service, accountability, and democratic leadership should look like in a moment of global instability.
TRANSCRIPT: Tonight we’re joined by someone I’ve wanted to talk to for a while — Fred Wellman. Fred has been doing some remarkable work in political advocacy and now he’s running for Congress in Missouri.
Fred, thanks for joining us.
Fred Wellman:
Thanks for having me, Chris.
Chris Sampson:
For people who don’t know your story yet, tell them a little bit about who you are and why you decided to run.
Fred Wellman:
Sure. I’m running for Congress in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District, just outside St. Louis — my hometown. I grew up in Kirkwood. I left when I was 17 to attend West Point and spent more than 20 years in the Army.
I served four combat tours, flew helicopters, and retired as a lieutenant colonel. After the military I ran a veterans advocacy firm, helped run a COVID field hospital during the pandemic, and worked with the Lincoln Project.
I moved back to Missouri five years ago. As I watched what was happening in Washington and here in my district, I realized our representative simply wasn’t doing the job.
Our incumbent has been in office for thirteen years and has never held a town hall — not once. Local officials say she doesn’t answer their calls. She hasn’t brought meaningful investment into the district.
Meanwhile her personal wealth has quadrupled while she’s been in Congress.
I don’t have a problem with people being wealthy. But when you pull the ladder up behind you and stop representing the people who sent you to Washington, that’s a problem.
So I decided to run.
Chris Sampson:
One of the things that stands out about your background is that you come from a long line of military service.
Fred Wellman:
That’s right. My father was a World War II veteran. My grandfather served in World War I. We’ve had family members serving going all the way back to the Civil War.
Service to the country is something that runs deep in my family.
And when you’ve worn the uniform, you understand something very clearly: leadership carries consequences.
Decisions made in Washington can lead directly to soldiers losing their lives. They can determine whether families have healthcare. They can determine whether communities survive economic crises.
People in leadership should feel the burden of those decisions.
Chris Sampson:
And that’s a point I think many Americans miss. I’m speaking to you from Kyiv right now. Ukraine has spent four years fighting Iranian-designed drones launched by Russia.
Yet the United States is now suddenly discovering the threat of drone warfare as if it’s brand new.
Fred Wellman:
Exactly.
We’ve watched what has happened in Ukraine. We’ve seen how effective these drones are. And yet American forces were placed in command posts without adequate overhead protection.
That’s not a technological problem — it’s a leadership problem.
If we spent less time fighting cultural battles about “wokeness” and more time preparing for modern warfare, we would be better prepared.
Chris Sampson:
You’ve also talked a lot about the economic pressures facing Americans right now — healthcare, housing, energy.
Fred Wellman:
Yes, because that’s what people talk about when you meet them face to face.
In Missouri this year, energy costs rose 37 percent — the highest increase in the country.
Healthcare costs are skyrocketing. A couple in my district saw their insurance premiums increase nearly 300 percent.
Young people can’t afford homes in the towns they grew up in. Many are moving back in with their parents simply because the cost of living has become impossible.
This is what voters are worried about.
And yet Washington keeps focusing on culture wars while ignoring the economic reality facing working Americans.
Chris Sampson:
Healthcare is one of the issues you highlight frequently.
Fred Wellman:
Because the system is broken.
Right now, healthcare decisions in the United States are dictated by shareholder value.
Insurance companies decide when you receive treatment based on what costs them the least money.
I experienced this myself. My back is severely damaged from years in the Army. My doctor knew I needed an MRI.
The insurance company refused until I completed physical therapy first — because therapy was cheaper.
Of course the therapy couldn’t even be done because the injury was too severe.
This happens millions of times across the country.
Our healthcare system delays treatment because delays increase profits.
Chris Sampson:
You also spent time working with the Lincoln Project, which played a major role during the 2020 election.
Fred Wellman:
Yes. My role there focused on outreach to veterans and military families.
The goal was simple: create a permission structure for Republicans who had voted for Donald Trump in 2016 to feel comfortable voting against him in 2020.
We knew that if even three or four percent of those voters changed their vote, the election outcome could change.
In the end, about six percent of veterans who voted for Trump the first time did not vote for him again.
That mattered.
Chris Sampson:
There’s also the issue of corruption and congressional power. Congress seems to have surrendered enormous authority to the executive branch.
Fred Wellman:
That’s absolutely true.
Members of Congress swear an oath to the Constitution, yet they constantly abdicate their responsibilities.
The Constitution requires Congress to authorize war. Yet we’ve seen military operations launched without serious debate or oversight.
Congress has effectively turned itself into a doormat.
They allow powerful figures to wipe their feet on the institution rather than defend it.
Chris Sampson:
From where I sit in Ukraine, one of the most striking things is how often Americans accuse Ukraine of corruption while ignoring corruption at home.
Fred Wellman:
Exactly.
If we’re going to talk about corruption, we need to talk about corruption everywhere — including the United States.
Transparency and accountability are essential to democracy.
And right now, too many politicians are afraid to challenge powerful interests because they fear losing elections.
That fear is destroying the integrity of our political system.
Chris Sampson:
And ultimately the question becomes: what kind of country are we leaving to the next generation?
Fred Wellman:
That’s the question I hear everywhere.
Parents tell me their kids can’t afford homes in the communities they grew up in.
Young adults are working hard, but the system feels stacked against them.
If we continue down this path, we risk creating a country where opportunity no longer exists for the next generation.
That’s why I’m running.
Chris Sampson:
Fred Wellman, thanks for joining us tonight.
Fred Wellman:
Thanks for having me, Chris.
