Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and CNN anchor Caitlan Collins clashed Wednesday over ongoing university protests, the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and former President Trump’s lawsuit. in November amid mounting speculation that Mr. Vance would be Mr. Trump’s running mate.
Mr. Vance condemned the large-scale pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country and supported the actions of the New York City Police Department to quell Tuesday’s demonstration at Columbia University. Police were called out after a group of protesters occupied a campus building, but the Ohio Republican said they deserved criminal charges.
“You can’t police people for being pro-Israel or anti-Israel, but you can police people for breaking the law,” Vance said. Said “We’ve seen some of that in some of these protests,” he added on CNN’s “The Source with Caitlan Collins” on Wednesday.
Collins questioned the first-term senator’s logic and said there was a clear double standard in his response to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
“I’m just checking because you helped raise money for the people who did the fundraiser on January 6th,” she pressed.
Mr. Vance has repeatedly defended those who participated in the insurrection and supported their goals, saying in February that he would not have certified the 2020 election results had he been vice president.
In further discussion of January 6th, the senator said there were chants from the crowd calling for Vice President Mike Pence to be hanged, and that despite a gallows being set up near the Capitol, during the riot. said he was “skeptical” that Vice President Mike Pence’s life was ever put in jeopardy.
“I’m really skeptical that Mike Pence’s life was ever in jeopardy,” Vance said in an interview. “I think politics and politicians like to exaggerate things sometimes.”
Collins interjected, saying he thought Mike Pence would object.
Vance also touched on Trump’s immunity suit in the Supreme Court, with the former president’s lawyers arguing that Trump cannot be prosecuted for “official acts” while he is still in the White House, and that impeachment is not an option. It added that this is a prerequisite for punishment. The former president was impeached on charges of trying to stay in power, but the Senate did not vote to remove him from office.
Under grilling from liberal judges, Trump’s lawyers said assassinating a political opponent could be considered an official act. Vance seemed to agree.
“So you’re saying that you believe that if the president orders a military coup, the only remedy for that is impeachment?” Collins questioned.
Vance dismissed the question, saying the host was merely “dealing with hypotheticals.”
Speculation over Mr. Trump’s running mate has increased in recent weeks, and Mr. Vance is a familiar name. He told Collins he has not been in contact with the Trump campaign about candidates for the 2024 ticket.
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