Fireworks Fly as Vance Defends Trump's 'Peace' Agenda, Blasts Media Over Russiagate 'Lies' NOW NOW NOW
Paul Riverbank, 10/28/2024Vance defends Trump's anti-war stance and criticizes media coverage in heated CNN interview.
JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, has ignited a fiery debate with his claims that former President Trump's clashes with ex-officials were rooted in his refusal to engage in "ridiculous wars" -- a stance Vance vehemently defends. In a contentious interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Vance sparred with anchor Jake Tapper, accusing him and the network of lacking "integrity" in their reporting on Trump.
Vance charged that critics like former White House chief of staff John Kelly, who described Trump as the "definition of a fascist," disagree with the former president on policy -- not personality. "Donald Trump wouldn't listen to the leadership of the military when they wanted him to start ridiculous conflicts," Vance asserted, adding that "a lot of former members of the Pentagon bureaucracy, a lot of neoconservatives, they have a fundamental difference with Donald Trump on the question of peace and war."
Tapper pushed back, citing other former Trump administration officials who criticized their ex-boss, including Mark Milley, Mike Pence, James Mattis, Mark Esper, and John Bolton. But Vance remained unfazed, accusing Tapper of fixating on these claims while neglecting more pressing issues. "Can we talk about how Americans can't afford groceries? Can we talk about how Americans can't afford the cost of housing?" he challenged.
The heated exchange escalated when Vance blasted CNN for peddling the Russian collusion narrative "as if it were the gospel truth." "A viewer of your network would have believed that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin conspired in 2016. That was totally and preposterously false," he said, accusing Tapper of taking "the words of unnamed FBI agents and put them on your network as if they were the gospel truth."
Tapper defended CNN's coverage, stating they were reporting on an FBI investigation. But Vance remained adamant, insisting the network "covered it in a way that gave credence to anonymous sources' accusations." The exchange highlighted the deep divisions and lingering mistrust surrounding the Russiagate controversy, which Special Counsel John Durham's 2023 report found the FBI had mishandled.
Amid the heated rhetoric, Trump himself weighed in on the phrase "enemy from within" during his appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast -- a phrase that has drawn ire from Vice President Kamala Harris and her surrogates. Trump clarified that he was referring to criminals, including "murderers" and "rapists," being allowed to enter the country through the border crisis -- an issue he claims the Biden administration has mishandled for political gain.
"We have people that are really bad people, that I really think want to make this country unsuccessful," Trump said, citing the "13,099 murderers" and "15,000 rapists, convicted" he claimed had been "dropped in our country over the last three years." Rogan added that criminal gangs comprised of migrants had become an issue in cities like San Antonio and Aurora, Colorado.
The debate over Trump's rhetoric and his administration's policies -- from foreign interventions to immigration -- has become a focal point in the final stretch of the campaign. Vance's fiery defense of his running mate's stances on these issues, coupled with his attacks on the media's coverage, underscores the high stakes and deep divisions that continue to shape the political landscape.
