In his bid to be the Republican nominee for one of Ohio's seats in the United States Senate, venture capitalist and Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance has increasingly embraced far-right views.
He's defended far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson's promotion of the white supremacist "great replacement" conspiracy theory. He's said professors are the "enemy," despite it being a professor who convinced him to write the book that made him a household name. Vance has also encouraged Americans to embrace the "virtues" of Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenage vigilante who killed two people during the unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
And on January 6—the first anniversary of the deadly failed insurrection against the U.S. Capitol mounted by pro-Trump extremists—Vance defended the rioters, making a wildly false claim in the process.
There are dozens of people who protested on J6 who haven’t even been charged with a crime yet are being mistreated in DC prisons. A friend suggested the below link if you’re able to support them. https://t.co/3IUImMkK9g
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) January 6, 2022
*Even if* the very worst of the Democrats’ claims about J6 are true (they’re not), it is an insult to all of us that so many people are rotting in prison without being offered a speedy trial. These people are political prisoners, and their captivity is an assault on democracy.
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) January 6, 2022
If you can’t give, maybe consider writing a letter or offering words of encouragement. Many of these prisoners are veterans who served their country honorably and are accused of nothing. They are our people. Help them if you can.
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) January 6, 2022
Vance falsely asserted that "dozens" of the insurrectionists are being imprisoned without ever being charged for a crime. In reality, the U.S. government has arrested more than 700 people for their roles in the Capitol riot. Every person in jail has been charged with a crime.
CNN fact checker Daniel Dale was quick to point this out.
This is false. Every jailed Capitol insurrection defendant has been charged. Moreover, every jailed defendant *listed on the very website Vance linked to* has been charged. You can just Google their names or search the DOJ's handy official database (https://t.co/Q0sQaWwhSC). pic.twitter.com/88d7Q6ikz0
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 6, 2022
Around the same time Dale fact-checked Vance's claim, the Senate candidate tweeted that he meant to say the rioters in D.C. prisons haven't been "convicted" of a crime.
*convicted (not charged)
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) January 6, 2022
Even so, it's a stunning display of hypocrisy from Vance. Just last month, he decried Vice President Kamala Harris, reminding his followers that Harris tweeted the link to a bail fund for racial justice protesters during her presidential candidacy in 2020. He's also repeatedly spoken out against "soft-on-crime bail policies."
People weren't buying the Senate hopeful's attempt to walk back his comments.
Your original tweet was actually so dumb and this is a flimsy cover up - but then I thought, you know - If you’re against jailing people prior to conviction there is an entire island in New York City upon which that you could refocus some of your lawyer energy https://t.co/XdEequPRoZ
— leave adele alone (@rilez111) January 7, 2022
Are you, a Republican, suggesting that no American should ever be jailed until they're convicted? https://t.co/JD6v1qiqbM
— Alternative Fax (@daveblend) January 7, 2022
I think JD misworded this intentionally. He wants people to think there are people in jail who have not been charged when he "meant" to say convicted.
I call BS. If this was a true mistake, he would have deleted the first tweet. https://t.co/maVMC72fok
— Parmesan & Pinot (@ParmesanPinot) January 7, 2022
That's not even a good dodge. You didn't just move the goalposts--you got rid of them.
Just delete the tweet.
— Fred Courtright (@permdude) January 6, 2022
If you’ve changed the intent that much it’s best to delete your tweet and start over
*account (not tweet)
— darren, a dog liker (@tai_nugget) January 6, 2022
People also pointed out that Vance—a graduate of Yale Law School—should know the difference between "charged" and "convicted."
You know, I'm not a Yale Law grad, I'm an electrician, trained by the Navy, and product of SC public schools, and I'm aware of the difference https://t.co/Lb92VcitAr
— Thomas Everett (@Brewlord95) January 6, 2022
Guess what, non-convicted people spend pretrial time in jail ALL THE TIME.
You'd think a senate candidate would know that... https://t.co/cakUma5blq
— (((Barabbas))) (@RealBarabbas) January 7, 2022
Surely someone who went to YALE LAW SCHOOL should know the difference before making such a big and false claim https://t.co/916OpsIXaO
— Austen Erblat (@AustenErblat) January 7, 2022
Hay I’m not a lawyer but is that big difference? Like if the police put you in jail with or without charging you with something? I feel like Vance could explain why that’s significant. https://t.co/squFUt6GYA
— Maxwell Hauser (@itskegeltime) January 7, 2022
Awkward.
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