JD Vance says he's wouldn't have certified 2020 race until states submitted pro-Trump electors
The senator also suggested Trump should ignore "illegitimate" court rulings.
Sen. JD Vance on Sunday defended Donald Trump as the former president faces a litany of legal issues amid his comeback campaign for the White House.
In a contentious interview with ABC News "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos, Vance -- a onetime Trump critic -- also doubled down on his views of the 2020 election, saying the results shouldn't have been immediately certified, and he went on to suggest Trump should ignore "illegitimate" U.S. Supreme Court rulings.
Vance, an Ohio Republican who has been floated in the media as a potential running mate for Trump, was asked by Stephanopoulos if he would have certified the 2020 election results as vice president, as required by the Constitution and as then-Vice President Mike Pence did.
Vance called it a "ridiculous question" and claimed Stephanopoulos was "obsessed with talking about this" but went on to say he would have liked to see the certification of the 2020 election handled differently.
"Do I think there were problems in 2020? Yes, I do," he said citing a list of issues, including social media restrictions on some content about Hunter Biden and changes in state election laws to accommodate for health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there," he continued. "That is the legitimate way to deal with an election that a lot of folks, including me, think had a lot of problems in 2020. I think that's what we should have done."
The Constitution makes no such provisions for this. There has been no confirmed evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 race, and the results were affirmed by local officials across the country, including many Republicans.
Stephanopoulos also asked Vance about a September 2021 podcast interview where he said that if Trump is reelected in 2024, he would advise the former president to "fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people" -- and, if and when the courts tried to stop him, "stand before the country like Andrew Jackson did, and say, 'The chief justice has made his ruling. Now let him enforce it.'"
"Fire everyone in the government, then defy the Supreme Court? You think it's OK for the president to defy the Supreme Court?" Stephanopoulos asked.
Vance asserted that he "did not say fire everyone in government," but Stephanopoulos pushed back, repeating that Vance said in the podcast Trump should replace "every civil servant in the administrative state."
Vance, however, continued, arguing, "We have a major problem here with administrators and bureaucrats in the government who don't respond to the elected branches. ... If those people aren't following the rules, then of course you've got to fire them, and of course, the president has to be able to run the government as he thinks he should. That's the way the Constitution works."
"The Constitution also says the president must abide by legitimate Supreme Court rulings, doesn't it?" Stephanopoulos pressed.
"The Constitution says that the Supreme Court can make rulings ... but if the Supreme Court said the president of the United States can't fire a general, that would be an illegitimate ruling," Vance said.
Vance separately cast the civil and criminal cases against Trump as biased, including a jury in New York finding the former president liable for sexual assault and another New York jury awarding $83 million in defamation damages to E. Jean Carroll, who says she was assaulted by Trump -- which has been spotlighted in anti-Trump advertising.
Former Republican Representative Liz Cheney warned that GOP Senator J.D. Vance is "unfit" for office because of his remarks about the Supreme Court potentially making an "illegitimate ruling."
Vance is facing scrutiny over comments he made during an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. During the interview, Vance addressed 2021 remarks in which he said Donald Trump should have "replaced" midlevel bureaucrats with individuals "responsive to the administration."
Stephanopoulos pressed the Ohio Republican on whether it would be OK for the president to defy the Supreme Court if it ruled against such a move.
"The Constitution says that the Supreme Court can make rulings, but if the Supreme Court—and look, I hoped that they would not do this—but if the Supreme Court said the president of the United States can't fire a general, that would be an illegitimate ruling. And the president has to have Article 2 prerogative under the Constitution to actually run the military as he sees fit," he said.
Vance's comments drew sharp criticism from Cheney, who represented Wyoming in Congress before losing her primary race in 2022 to Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman, who now represents the deeply conservative state's at-large district.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Cheney wrote: "Yesterday, @JDVance1 claimed that Trump could defy rulings of the Supreme Court as President. Vance also admitted he would have done what VP Pence refused to do on January 6th—help Trump illegally seize power. That's tyranny. Neither Trump nor Vance is fit to serve."
A Vance spokesman declined to comment when reached by Newsweek. Newsweek also reached out to Cheney's the Great Task PAC for comment via email.
Donald Trump Jr. came to Vance's defense—and recalled Cheney's primary defeat—in a post to X.
"That's funny, because the voters of Wyoming clearly decided that you weren't fit to serve, when they threw you out of office in an embarrassing 50 point blowout," he wrote.
Cheney's status among House Republicans suffered after she turned against the former president following the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, when a mob of Trump supporters violently protested the 2020 presidential election results.
She was among the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the former president after he was charged in the chamber with "incitement of insurrection." She also served on the House select committee investigating the riot and lost her post in the House Republican leadership. She has continued to speak out against Trump and about the direction she believes the GOP must take.
In 2022, Cheney endorsed Vance's Democratic challenger, then-Representative Tim Ryan. A spokesperson for Vance at the time called her endorsement the "kiss of death" for Ryan's campaign. Vance ultimately won the election by a 6-point margin and has since emerged as an outspoken conservative voice in the Senate.
I will always be disappointed in my fellow buckeyes for voting this clown into senate.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
I can't answer that question 05. I think it was rhetorical in nature anyway. I live in Tennessee. Can you imagine how many questions i have in those same regards?
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Trump Now Falsely Claims He Didn’t Endorse Immigration Bill Co-Author
Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, who helped draw up the immigration bill that Trump hates, received Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement” in 2022.
Donald Trump said during an interview Monday that he did not endorse Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who won re-election in 2022 and is now one of the architects of the immigration bill that Trump opposes. The problem: Trump did endorse him.
“Just to correct the record, I did not endorse Sen. Lankford. I didn’t do it. He ran, and I did not endorse him,” Trump claimed on The Dan Bongino Show, after the host made Trump aware that some have called attention to the former president's endorsement. “So I’m sure your person will be happy to hear that.”
The truth, however, is easily accessible.
In a statement on Sept. 27, 2022, Trump gave his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to Lankford, and even praised the senator as “Strong on the Border.”
“James was strongly committed to America First, and everything it stood for, and likewise strongly committed to me, as President. Sometimes we didn’t exactly agree on everything, but we do now,” the statement read. “He is a very good man with a fabulous wife and family, loves the great State of Oklahoma, and is working very hard on trying to Save our Country from the disaster that it is in.”
Trump, who also falsely claimed just days ago that he had “won” one of his New York cases in an appeals court, has stated his opposition to the immigration bill that Lankford and Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) drew up, and many Republicans in Congress feel the same. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who admitted last month that he speaks with Trump “pretty frequently” about the border situation, called it “dead on arrival” should it reach the House. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), a vocal Trump supporter, likewise bashed it, as did House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).
Several Republicans, like Rep. Troy Nels (R-TX), have openly admitted that they would prefer not to pass legislation that would help President Joe Biden’s political fortunes. On that note, Lankford said later Monday on CNN that “a chaotic border is helpful to” Trump.
Biden has signaled his support for the bill, urging lawmakers in a statement to “get it to my desk so I can sign it into law immediately.”
Just so I'm sure I understand his thinking, If citizens in (pick your state)were to vote for Joe Biden, JD Vance is saying that we should still allow Trump Electors to be counted?
Do I have that right?
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Just so I'm sure I understand his thinking, If citizens in (pick your state)were to vote for Joe Biden, JD Vance is saying that we should still allow Trump Electors to be counted?
Do I have that right?
Isn't that just like ignoring what the voters are saying? In that case, why even bother to have an election.
If that's the case, then we've been warned about this before. Republicans or should I say, MAGA's don't care about the voters. We don't matter.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Just so I'm sure I understand his thinking, If citizens in (pick your state)were to vote for Joe Biden, JD Vance is saying that we should still allow Trump Electors to be counted?
Do I have that right?
Isn't that just like ignoring what the voters are saying? In that case, why even bother to have an election.
If that's the case, then we've been warned about this before. Republicans or should I say, MAGA's don't care about the voters. We don't matter.
Yes, that is what is he saying. He is telling you the quiet part out loud. They are not hiding it anymore. This is the playbook for 2024
Rush Linbaugh used the beginning of “My city was gone” as a lead in to his radio show. He was forced to pay a licensing fee to continue to use it. Chrissie Hynde donated the money to PETA.
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. – Jackie Robinson
But then he has also compared likened himself to prominent historical figures, including Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, and even Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting.
No, you do NOT look like Elvis nor have anything in common with Elvis. One example is Elvis didn't claim to have bone spurs to dodge the military.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
And yet more of them who are "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs".......
Tennessee man who was working with militias planned to act as a sniper and attack Southern border, feds say
Paul Faye was arrested Monday after he allegedly sold an undercover agent working with the FBI an unregistered suppressor for an AK-47, according to federal court records.
A Tennessee man who planned to travel to the southern border with an arsenal of weapons and explosives to “stir up the hornet’s nest” was arrested Monday, federal officials say.
Paul Faye, who told undercover agents that the U.S. was "being invaded" by illegal immigrants, has been charged with selling an unregistered firearm suppressor, according to a criminal complaint federal prosecutors filed this week in Nashville, Tennessee.
Faye faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted. He will appear in federal court Monday for a detention hearing.
Faye’s public defender could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night.
The news of Faye's arrest was first reported by Court Watch.
Faye had been on the FBI's radar for a year, and late last year, he told an undercover FBI agent that he was coordinating with militia groups from Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee and planning to travel to the border, the document says. He said he planned to meet up with a person who could make explosives to take to the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the court document.
His aim was to “stir up the hornet’s nest” and garner significant media coverage, the complaint said.
“What I hope happens. Is called a domino effect. I want, I want the news to find out about it,” Faye said, according to the criminal complaint.
Faye also allegedly conveyed to the FBI employee that one of his roles within the group traveling to the border was to serve as a sniper.
He said "his talent was 'sending rounds down range,'" the complaint says.
During a meeting with three undercover employees on April 1, Faye “discussed his belief that the government was training to take on its citizens, and more specifically, that the federal government was allowing illegal immigrants to enter the United States to help the government,” the complaint says.
The next month, on a recorded phone call with an undercover employee, Faye warned, "The patriots are going to rise up because we are being invaded. We are being invaded,” according to the criminal complaint.
On Jan. 11, Faye allegedly sold an undercover FBI employee an AK-47 rifle suppressor for $100 that was not registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record, the complaint says.
That day, two undercover agents met with Faye at his home, where he showed them his “war room," according to the criminal complaint.
The room was full of “numerous firearms, a large amount of ammunition, radios, and a bulletproof vest,” the complaint says. He invited the undercover agents to hold numerous weapons, including a Creedmoor rifle, multiple AR-15 rifles and a shotgun, the complaint says.
GOP’s Massie: McCarthy ouster ‘has officially turned into an unmitigated disaster’
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that the ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last October has been an “unmitigated disaster,” a day after the House GOP twice fell short in floor votes in embarrassing fashion.
“Getting rid of Speaker McCarthy has officially turned into an unmitigated disaster,” Massie wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“All work on separate spending bills has ceased. Spending reductions have been traded for spending increases,” he continued. “Warrantless spying has been temporarily extended. Our majority has shrunk.”
The GOP is dealing with a slender majority in the House, which was also a problem for McCarthy but which has shrunk further since his exit.
On Tuesday, Republicans saw their effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas fall short on the floor, after three of their members defected and one Democrat unexpectedly showed up to vote. They thus fell one vote short of impeaching Mayorkas, a high priority for conservatives.
Immediately after that vote, a bill to provide aid to Israel that was brought to the floor under the suspension of House rules also failed; it needed a two-thirds majority because of the suspension of House rules, but Democrats and Republicans opposed it.
The twin defeats raised questions about the House GOP’s ability to govern — and its ability to count votes.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, who led the push to unseat McCarthy, pushed back on Massie’s remarks on X.
“McCarthy lied to us, made secret side deals, increased spending, got rolled by Biden and shrunk our majority by quitting when he couldn’t run the place,” the Florida Republican replied. “His removal was warranted.”
In response to a separate reply, Massie asked a commenter to “name one thing that’s improved under the new Speaker.”
Gaetz himself shot back, “Here’s one: we haven’t sent any money to Ukraine (yet).”
The Tuesday losses by the GOP were a significant defeat for the man who succeeded McCarthy, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
He has struggled to unify Republicans around measures to fund the government and will face new challenges in March when deadlines to prevent a government shutdown loom.
The Mayorkas impeachment issue is expected to return to the House. Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) missed Tuesday’s vote as he gets treatment for blood cancer. Assuming no one else changes their vote, his presence could be enough to impeach Mayorkas.
Still, Johnson has had to deal with the same threats as McCarthy. Both Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) have threatened to offer a motion to vacate the chair against him if he does not meet various demands. Such a motion was used to end McCarthy’s Speakership.
In response to Massie’s post, former Trump administration communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin said Wednesday it’s “only a matter of time” before a Republican member files a motion to vacate the chair against Johnson.
“And it’d be entirely justified,” added Griffin, a high-profile GOP critic of Trump and his allies.
That actually made perfect sense. The two aren’t even close. Hell, many R’s in office are already commending Fetterman.
Hey, I'm glad Fetterman seems like he's coming full circle. I'll commend the heck out of him, he makes more sense and sounds more reasonable than most in the swamp. Most importantly he seems like he's on the way to a full recovery.
But... pushing a stroke victim into office when he looks like he looks like he's a few days away from a life of applesauce and Wapner at 4 was not far from grotesque. And it led directly to severe depression and the dude being outspoken about not caring if he lived or died. I think you're taking a bit too much artistic liberty with 'hindsight' here.
It's odd how he wasn't fit to be in office when he said what people such as yourself didn't like and now he should be commended when he says things you do like. More like to be expected than odd actually.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Hey, I'm glad Fetterman seems like he's coming full circle. I'll commend the heck out of him, he makes more sense and sounds more reasonable than most in the swamp.
While you seem to be having difficulty admitting what it is you posted. First you claim he "sounds" more reasonable and then claim it has nothing to do with what he says. Do you even hear yourself?
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
That actually made perfect sense. The two aren’t even close. Hell, many R’s in office are already commending Fetterman.
Hey, I'm glad Fetterman seems like he's coming full circle. I'll commend the heck out of him, he makes more sense and sounds more reasonable than most in the swamp. Most importantly he seems like he's on the way to a full recovery.
But... pushing a stroke victim into office when he looks like he looks like he's a few days away from a life of applesauce and Wapner at 4 was not far from grotesque. And it led directly to severe depression and the dude being outspoken about not caring if he lived or died. I think you're taking a bit too much artistic liberty with 'hindsight' here.
LOL, I just want you to look me straight in the eye and tell me you would rather vote for the guy who said "crudité"
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
In all honesty, I think I would have taken my chances with Fetterman, despite the health issues. Medicine on that front, both the coronary and the mental health side, has gotten a lot better. Oz, if I were a Pennsylvania constituent, was an opportunistic, carpet-bagger who kissed the ring. I just couldn't get over that if I had lived there.
I think the carpet-bagging really did him in, too. You had guys like Steve Van Zant telling him to come back to their home state of jersey so they could go surfing...that was pretty funny.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
Lol. I spent my life catering, "crudité" is worth double on the invoice.
I didn't have a horse in that race, but indeed, Oz appeared out of place and exuded a sense of desperation toward the end. I felt terrible for Fetterman as he looked miserable down the stretch. Have you heard him speak recently? Just an amazing turn around.
Texas woman sentenced to 3 years in prison for death threats to judge in Trump’s documents case
Tiffani Shea Gish of Houston had pleaded guilty in November to leaving threatening voicemails for U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon.
A Texas woman accused of making death threats against the judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case was sentenced Friday to three years in prison.
Tiffani Shea Gish, of Houston, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, the Justice Department said in a news release.
“Holding Tiffani Gish accountable for her threats to assassinate a federal judge sends a strong message that we have no tolerance for those — who often hide behind a far-off keyboard or phone line — seeking to undermine our democratic institutions by threatening the safety of the people who help those same institutions thrive,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a statement.
A public defender listed for Gish did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday night.
Gish pleaded guilty in November to one count of using interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, according to court documents.
That guilty plea came more than a year after Gish's arrest in Houston in connection with threatening voicemails left for U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump appointee who is overseeing the case against the former president's handling of classified material after leaving office.
According to court documents, Gish had admitted to federal marshals that she left messages for Cannon, warning the judge that she was “marked for assassination” and that she planned to shoot her in front of her family.
Friday’s sentencing comes as other judges in cases related to Trump have become targets.
A Texas woman was charged last year in connection with threats to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing Trump’s federal election interference case. Chutkan recently postponed the trial, which was scheduled to begin next month, as Trump appeals rulings that said he is not immune from prosecution.
The classified documents case that Cannon is overseeing is scheduled to go to trial in May.
Trump is accused of willfully retaining national defense information in connection with classified documents that were uncovered at his Mar-a-Lago property more than a year after he left office, and scheming with two co-defendants to delete security video at the property.
Trump and co-defendants Walt Nauta, a top aide, and Carlos De Oliveira, a maintenance supervisor at Mar-a-Lago, have denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In a filing Thursday, special counsel Jack Smith's team asked Cannon to reconsider an order to turn over unredacted documents that Smith' team says identify more than two dozen witnesses and threaten their safety and testimony. Prosecutors noted in a separate filing this week that social media threats received by a potential witness in the case are the subject of a federal investigation.
are you for real?
