A heated exchange erupted in a recent interview between Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) and NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on Sunday over former President Donald Trump’s call for an investigation into President Joe Biden.
Vance vehemently defended Trump, criticizing the media and Democratic lawmakers for their reaction to Trump’s statement, claiming they have “lost their minds.” The Ohio senator argued that Trump is calling for an investigation into Biden’s alleged wrongdoing and that the current administration has already conducted numerous investigations into the previous one.
“I think what Donald Trump is simply saying is that we should investigate the prior administration,” Vance stated. “There have been many instances of wrongdoing identified by the House Oversight Committee. We should investigate to determine whether these were corrupt business transactions that may or may not be criminal.”
Vance also turned the tables on the Biden administration, asking why their actions were not viewed as a threat to democracy. He pointed to a former U.S. Department of Justice official who worked on Trump’s hush money trial and then joined a local prosecutor’s office to pursue Trump.
Welker countered that this kind of transition occurs frequently, to which Vance disagreed.
Trump has claimed that his hush money conviction is invalid in light of the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity. The court ruled that former presidents are entitled to immunity for official acts, but not unofficial ones.
Prior to the ruling, Vance argued that U.S. presidents should be granted immunity to perform their duties, citing parallels with police officers, judges, and prosecutors who enjoy immunity. He suggested that this principle should apply to the office of the president.
