By james art
In an interview Sunday with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Ohio Sen. JD Vance hit back at what has become a favored attack by the Harris campaign, which has often noted that a growing number of prominent former Trump administration officials are they said their old boss was unfit for office.
Vance argued that these former administration officials were targeting former President Donald Trump because he rejected their efforts to scrutinize his behavior and push for “ridiculous military conflicts.” The group includes Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, John Kelly, who told the New York Times last week that the former president fits the “general definition of a fascist.”
Vance argued that Kelly’s concerns about Trump are based on policy, not “personality.”
“No, (Kelly) agrees with Trump on most policies,” Tapper said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “He disagrees with Trump about the way Trump views his role … and fascism and authoritarianism.”
Vance tried to shift the terms of the discussion from Trump’s behavior to the record of Kelly and other anti-Trump conservative Republicans.
“All these people, Jake, came into office thinking they could control Donald Trump when he said he wanted world peace,” Vance said.
“Mike Pence Thought He Could Control Donald Trump? Really?” Tapper asked.
“Yes, he did. And when he found out he couldn’t, everybody turned on Donald Trump,” Vance said.
Read more about Vance’s defense of Trump amid a growing wave of GOP critics here.