Fact Check: Vance Falsely Claims Trump Did Not ‘Go After His Political Opponents’
Senator JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, falsely claimed on Sunday that former President Donald Trump “didn’t go after his political opponents” during his time in office. This assertion is at odds with substantial evidence.
Vance’s claim is unfounded. Throughout his presidency, Trump exerted both public and private pressure on the Justice Department and other members of his administration to look into or prosecute various political adversaries. He frequently attacked them publicly as well.
In response to inquiries, Vance’s spokesperson, Taylor Van Kirk, accused the media of employing a biased “double standard.” However, this does not indicate that Trump did not attempt to take action. Trump consistently urged the Justice Department to prosecute both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, among others.
Contrary to Vance’s assertion, there is no public evidence suggesting that Kamala Harris pressured the Justice Department to take legal action against Trump or any of her opponents. The decision to file two criminal cases against Trump—one concerning his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the other regarding his retention of classified documents after leaving office—was made by a counsel-appointed Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Trump publicly called for investigations and prosecutions of his political adversaries numerous times. His demands for inquiries into his opponents were often vocalized, with Trump pressuring Attorney General Jeff Sessions in tweets and public speeches to investigate various claims against Clinton in 2017 and 2018.
