Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance was criticized after saying it would be "totally reasonable" for former President Donald Trump to open an investigation into President Joe Biden in the event Trump wins a second term.
Vance—who is widely considered a top choice to be Trump's running mate—justified this by claiming that Biden has “done exactly that for the last few years,” falsely accusing Biden of engaging in a “campaign of lawfare against his political opposition.”
Speaking on Sunday's episode of Meet the Press, Vance told moderator Kristen Welker that media outlets and Democrats have "lost their minds" over Trump's vow last month to "appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden."
His remarks came after Welker asked him the following question:
"If former President Trump were to win, if you were to be his vice president, would you support him appointing a special prosecutor to go after his political enemies, the Bidens?"
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
Vance replied:
Well, first of all, Kristen, I find it interesting how the media and the Democrats have lost their mind over this particular quote. Donald Trump is talking about appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Joe Biden for wrongdoing."
"Joe Biden has done exactly that for the last few years and has done far more in addition to that to engage in a campaign of lawfare against his political opposition."
"I think what Donald Trump is simply saying is that we ought to investigate the prior administration. There are obviously many instances of wrongdoing. The House Oversight Committee has identified a number of corrupt business transactions that may or may not be criminal that we have to find out."
"So I think Donald Trump's saying, 'Look, let's do the basic work of investigating wrongdoing.' It's a totally reasonable thing for him to do and frankly, the Biden administration has done far worse. So if you think that what Donald Trump is proposing is a threat to democracy, isn't what Joe Biden has done a massive threat to our laws and system of government?"
Welker then fact-checked Vance's statements by pointing to Trump's recent conviction in his hush money trial:
"Senator, just to be clear, Joe Biden didn't appoint a special prosecutor. The Attorney General did that. Trump was indicted by a grand jury, he was found guilty by a jury of his peers in New York, but can we just go back to the core question here?"
"Would you support him taking such an action? It sounds like yes, you would."
Vance persisted:
"I would absolutely support investigating prior wrongdoing by our government, absolutely. That's what you have to have in a system of law and order, Kristen."
Vance's statements are remarkable given that Trump recently became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes. A New York jury in May found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to illegally influence the 2016 election.
Trump's sentencing was originally set for July 11 but has been pushed back to September 18 in the wake of a Supreme Court decision granting him sweeping immunity protections.
This week, the nation's highest court ruled that Trump may claim immunity from criminal prosecution for some of his actions during the final days of his presidency—particularly for his role before, during, and after the Capitol riot—a decision expected to further delay his federal trial on charges he attempted to overturn the 2020 election results.
Trump's legal team believes that this ruling might significantly undermine special counsel Jack Smith's case, arguing that any communications Trump had with then-Vice President Mike Pence or Department of Justice officials could now be considered official, thus inadmissible at trial.
The legal team also suggested that this decision could benefit Trump in the classified documents case, although initial interpretations may not necessarily dictate the outcome of that legal process.
All of this is a far cry from the "law and order" principles Vance espoused during the interview—and he was swiftly called out for supporting a convicted felon.
Vance's hypocrisy is all the more evident given that he recently revealed that Trump's campaign is asking potential vice presidential picks whether they've committed any "crime"—which is ironic because Trump himself would be disqualified on those parameters.
Vance previously secured Trump's endorsement during his Senate campaign and is considered one of Trump's strongest allies in Congress, openly supporting Trump's claim of absolute immunity.
Trump has reportedly been considering Vance as a potential vice-presidential candidate, with plans to announce his running mate before the Republican convention, which is scheduled to be held July 15 to 18, 2024, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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