What JD Vance thinks about cousin calling him and Trump 'Vladimir Putin's useful idiots'
Vice President JD Vance responded to his cousin Nate’s scathing criticism of his and the Trump administration’s Ukraine strategy in a statement on Monday.
Vice President JD Vance responded Monday to a scathing critique from his cousin Nate of his strategy for the Russia-Ukraine war.
Nate Vance, who has spent years as a volunteer fighter for Ukraine against Russia, spoke to the French publication Le Figaro on Sunday about his thoughts on the combative exchange between President Donald Trump, the vice president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month.
Although he considered his cousin a "good guy" and "intelligent," Nate Vance called the scene "an ambush of absolute bad faith."
"Just because I'm related to you doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and watch you get my comrades killed," Nate Vance said. "When JD justifies his distrust of Zelenskyy by the 'reports' he has seen, I thought I was going to choke."
Nate Vance was also offended by Vance calling Zelenskyy "disrespectful" and saying the Ukrainian leader "should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end" to the Russia-Ukraine war.
"Donald Trump and my cousin clearly believe they can placate Vladimir Putin," Nate said. "They are wrong. The Russians are not about to forget our support for Ukraine. We are Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots."
Nate Vance added that he had left messages with his cousin’s office on the topic, given his experience on the front lines in Ukraine.
"I could have told him the truth, without pretense, without personal interest. He never tried to find out more," Nate Vance said.
Nate Vance made similar comments on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" on Monday, saying he was "surprised" by what he saw in the Oval Office scene.
"There‘s a certain level of decorum that should be reached. And, you know, I‘m not naive enough to think that, you know, national leaders don’t debate behind closed doors," Nate Vance said. "But when you do that and you publicly, you know, kind of ridicule someone in public that they have to almost defend themselves…it was really disappointing to see it for me."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Vice President Vance said that he never spoke publicly about his cousin’s service because he "didn't want to endanger his life more than it already was."
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"As far as his criticisms, I have no interest in arguing with him in public, but I do feel the need to address one issue in particular: his failed effort to contact me. I am unsure why Nate felt the need to reach out to my Senate office, rather than to his mom, dad, or sister, all of whom I am in contact with regularly," Vance said.
The vice president added that he "always considered Nate the toughest guy [he] knew" and that he was "always happy to talk to him."
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