Vance Supports Naming Special Prosecutor to Probe Biden

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's newly minted running mate, agrees with the former president that a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate President Joe Biden and his family if the Republican ticket wins in November.

During an appearance July 7 on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Vance was asked by Kristen Welker about a quote Trump made in 2023 in which he said, "I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family."

Welker was then asked if Trump wins in November and Vance is on his ticket, if he supports Trump "appointing a special prosecutor to go after his political enemies, the Bidens?"

"I find it interesting how much the media and the Democrats have lost their mind over this particular quote," Vance said. "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. What Donald Trump is simply saying is 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. Of course, you have to investigate to find out. So, I think Donald Trump's saying, 'Look, let's do the basic work of investigating wrongdoing,' is 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 Biden has already done a massive threat to our system of law and government?"

Welker interjected that Biden didn't appoint special prosecutor Jack Smith to investigate Trump regarding allegations of trying to subvert the results of the 2020 election and for his handling of documents, some deemed classified, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The latter case was dismissed Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon. Welker also said Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

"But can we just go back to the core question here?" Welker said. "Would you support him taking such an action? It sounds like you're saying, yes, you would."

"I would absolutely support investigating prior wrongdoing by our government, absolutely," Vance said. "That's what you have to have in a system of law and order, Kristen. But I have to reject the premise here. Joe Biden appointed the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, who of course answers to Joe Biden, can be fired by Joe Biden. So, the idea that the Biden administration has nothing to do with the appointment of the special prosecutor, I think, completely betrays a misunderstanding of how our system of government actually works.

"And of course, Kristen, we have to make this point, Kristen, that the prosecution of Donald Trump in New York, which I think now has fundamentally been thrown in doubt by this immunity case, one of the main guys was a Department of Justice official in the Biden administration who jumped ship to join a local prosecutor's office to go after Donald Trump … if that doesn't make you question the legitimacy of the prosecution, that's a problem."

Welker then said what Vance was referencing in New York – Matthew Colangelo, the acting Associate Attorney General under Garland leaving to join Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's prosecution of Trump "happens all the time" and that the Department of Justice found no contact between federal prosecutors and those involved with that case. She then asked if it's not OK for Biden to weaponize the DOJ to go after his political opponents, why would it be OK for Trump to do so.

"Well, Kristen, first of all, you said that it happens all the time, that the No. 3 person in the Department of Justice jumped ship to join a local prosecutor's office to go after the president's political opponent," Vance said. "I don't think that's ever happened in the history of American democracy. And I don't think that we should legitimize it.

"Now, if Donald Trump's Attorney General had his No. 2 or his No. 3 jump ship to a local prosecutor's office in Ohio or Wisconsin and that person then went after Donald Trump's political opposition, that's a different conversation. All he's suggesting is that we should investigate credible arguments of wrongdoing. That's all that Donald Trump is saying. That is not a threat to democracy. That's merely reinforcing our system of law and government."