¶ Vance Supported, Praised, And Abetted Racists, Conspiracy Theorists, And Extremists
¶ Highlights:
- JD Vance was supported by neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin and the hate group VDARE.
- JD Vance maintained an active correspondence with Charles Johnson, a Holocaust denier.
- JD Vance praised and defended conspiracy theorists and conspiracy theories, including Alex Jones, J.R. Majewski, Jack Posobiec.
- JD Vance repeatedly promoted the racist “Great Replacement Theory.”
- JD Vance defended Majorie Taylor Greene for speaking at a white nationalist conference.
- JD Vance heroized Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed multiple Black Lives Matters protesters.
- Russ Vought, a conspiracy theorist and a Christian nationalist, was a close ally of JD Vance.
- JD Vance was slated to speak with Lance Wallnau, an extreme Christian nationalist.
- JD Vance praised a book which advocated for extreme views, such as the repeal of the Civil Rights Act and defunding childcare.
¶ Vance Was Supported By A Neo-Nazi And A Hate Group
¶ Vance Was Praised By The Neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin
Notorious Antisemite And Neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin, Who Admired Hitler And Said “Jews Should Be Exterminated,” Praised Vance By Saying He Would “Change The Entire Game.” According to Jewish Insider, “But while his current whereabouts are unknown, Anglin — a rabid antisemite who admires Adolf Hitler, believes ‘Jews should be exterminated’ and once described ‘a craving to return to an age of violence’ — continues to exert whatever influence he can muster as he cranks out a seemingly unending stream of racist and misogynistic incitement.’ […] In his post, Anglin, expressed support for another Thiel protégé, J.D. Vance, the Hillbilly Elegy author who clinched the Republican nomination in Ohio’s hotly contested Senate race in May. ‘Peter Thiel’s losing streak is up,’ Anglin proclaimed. ‘I don’t agree with everything the man endorses, and I don’t think he agrees with everything he endorses, but JD Vance and Blake Masters are going to change the entire game.’” [Jewish Insider, 7/1/22]
- Andrew Anglin Was The Founder Of The Neo-Nazi Daily Stormer Website. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “Andrew Anglin is the founder of the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website, which takes its name from the gutter Nazi propaganda sheet known as Der Stürmer. True to that vintage, Anglin is infamous for the crudity of his language and his thinking, a contrast to his sophistication as a prolific internet troll and serial harasser. Anglin’s organizing and harassment on the Daily Stormer led to lawsuits, and courts have awarded millions of dollars in damages to plaintiffs suing Anglin in recent years. But with his whereabouts unknown, Anglin has so far escaped full accountability for his actions.” [Southern Poverty Law Center, Accessed 8/1/24]
¶ Vance Was Supported By V-Dare, A Southern Poverty Law Center-Designated Hate Group That Promoted White Supremacy
VDARE: Vance Was The Ideal Candidate In Ohio Primary Field Because He Was “The Only One Who Understands The Threat Of Legal Immigration.” According to VDARE, “J.D. Vance is certainly not perfect, and his past should be taken into consideration. But my conclusion: when compared to the rest of the field, Vance is the only one who understands the threat of legal immigration. His campaign is a testament to the rising power of immigration patriotism in the GOP.” [VDARE, 7/2/21]
VDARE, Which Was Designated As A Hate Group By The Southern Poverty Law Center, Focused On Advancing White Nationalism In American Politics Through Its Promotion Of Anti-Immigrant Policy And Rhetoric. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “Originally established in 1999 by Peter Brimelow, VDARE has provided a crucial bridge between the more mainstream anti-immigrant movement, including major players in the Republican Party, and the white nationalist fringe. Though the site has declared its mission as ‘inform[ing] the fight to keep America American,’ its roster of white nationalist contributors throughout its two-plus decades online belies Brimelow’s attempts to paint the site as solely a haven for ‘civic nationalist’ critiques of America’s system of immigration.” [Southern Poverty Law Center, Accessed 8/1/24]
¶ Vance Maintained An Active Correspondence With Charles Johnson, A Holocaust Denier
¶ Vance Maintained An Active Correspondence With Charles Johnson, A Promoter Of Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories
Vance Maintained An Active Correspondence With Charles Johnson, A Promoter Of Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories. According to the Washington Post, “The day after JD Vance was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022, he received a congratulatory text from Charles Johnson, a blogger and entrepreneur who has zealously promoted right-wing conspiracy theories. […] Their correspondence over the next 20 months — extending into the weeks before former president Donald Trump picked Vance as his running mate — offers a glimpse of the Republican vice-presidential nominee’s off-the-cuff musings, often matching his public expressions but voiced with much less polish. Vance was just as casual in discussing America’s foreign alliances as he was in evaluating his own private alliances with the GOP’s moneyed class. With Johnson, he pondered responsibility for the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines and crudely described his aversion to the Ukrainian government and refusal to consider its pleas for U.S. assistance.” [Washington Post, 8/7/24]
¶ Charles Johnson Was Labeled By The Republican Jewish Coalition As A “Holocaust Denier”
Vance Had A Texting Relationship With Charles Johnson, A Holocaust Denier. According to MSNBC, “For those unfamiliar with Charles Johnson, this week’s Washington Post report on his texting relationship with Sen. JD Vance might not have had a significant impact, but the closer one looks at the details, the worse the story appears. […] At first blush, some readers are probably shrugging their shoulders. A far-right senator texting with a far-right media personality? This must happen all of the time. But Johnson isn’t just some random conservative blogger. A Semafor report described him as ‘a notorious Internet troll [whom] the Republican Jewish Coalition had labeled a ‘Holocaust denier.’’ And when candidates for national office have texting relationships with someone like this, it’s worth paying attention to.” [MSNBC, 8/8/24]
¶ Vance Praised And Defended Conspiracy Theorists
¶ Vance Praised Alex Jones
September 2021: Vance Joined The Teneo Network And Gave A Private Speech. According to ProPublica, “Vance made these remarks at a September 2021 gathering of the Teneo Network, an invitation-only group of young conservatives that counts elected officials, pro athletes, financial executives and media figures among its members. Vance joined Teneo six years ago. ProPublica and Documented obtained a video recording of his 30-minute speech and question-and-answer session, which has not been previously reported.” [ProPublica, 7/16/24]
In The Speech, Vance Praised Alex Jones As A Truth Teller. According to ProPublica, “Sen. J.D. Vance, whom Donald Trump named as his vice presidential running mate Monday, told a group of influential young conservatives in a closed-door speech in 2021 that they should stand up for ‘nonconventional people’ who speak truth, such as Infowars founder Alex Jones. ‘If you listen to Rachel Maddow every night, the basic worldview that you have is that MAGA grandmas who have family dinners on Sunday and bake apple pies for their family are about to start a violent insurrection against this country,’ Vance said. ‘But if you listen to Alex Jones every day, you would believe that a transnational financial elite controls things in our country, that they hate our society, and oh, by the way, a lot of them are probably sex perverts too.’ Vance went on, ‘Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, that’s actually a hell of a lot more true than Rachel Maddow’s view of society.’” [ProPublica, 7/16/24]
¶ Vance Promoted Jones As A “Reputable Source Of Information”
Vance: “Alex Jones Is A Far More Reputable Source Of Information Than Rachel Maddow.” According to Vance’s Twitter, “Alex Jones is a far more reputable source of information than Rachel Maddow. One of them is censored by the regime. The other promoted by it.” [Twitter, @JDVance, 9/5/21]
¶ Vance Praised J.R. Majewski, A Q-Anon Supporting Nominee For State House In Ohio
Vance Praised J.R. Majewski, An Ohio Republican Who Expressed Sympathy For QAnon Supporters And Raised Doubts About Whether The Insurrection Was Driven By Trump Supporters. According to the New York Times, “Along with Mr. Vance, Mr. Trump praised J.R. Majewski, the surprise winner of a Republican House primary election on Tuesday in northern Ohio. Mr. Majewski has drawn attention for traveling to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, though he told a right-wing radio host in January that he did not participate in the violence. He has also expressed sympathy for believers of the QAnon conspiracy theory movement and floated doubts that the Capitol riot was driven by Trump supporters.” [New York Times, 5/6/22]
¶ Vance Praised A Book By Jack Prosobiec, Who Spread The Pizzagate Conspiracy Theory
Vance Praised A Book By Jack Prosobiec, Who Spread The Pizzagate Conspiracy Theory. According to HuffPost, “Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), endorsed a book published this month by Jack Posobiec, a right-wing influencer famous for helping spread the Pizzagate conspiracy theory in 2016. […] Vance wrote an ‘editorial review,’ commonly known as a blurb, praising the book. It’s a small but fresh example of how conspiracy theorists have become massively influential among Republicans.” [HuffPost, 7/25/24]
The Book Decries Progressives As “Unhuman.” According to the New Republic, “Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance has found himself yet again in hot water, after it was uncovered that he promoted a book decrying progressives as ‘unhuman,’ written by a far-right conspiracy theorist. Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them) was written by the Pizzagate guy, Jack Posobiec, and ghostwriter Joshua Lisec, with a foreword by the recently imprisoned MAGA movement architect Steve Bannon. The book supposedly tracks the opponents of conservatism throughout history and endorses a modern-day McCarthyism to root out the ‘radicals’ from American institutions. ‘They don’t believe what they say. They don’t care about winning debates. They don’t even want equality. They just want an excuse to destroy everything. They want an excuse to destroy you,’ Posobiec and Lisec wrote.” [New Republic, 7/25/24]
¶ Vance Repeatedly Promoted And Defended The Racist Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory
¶ Vance Echoed The “Great Replacement Theory” After Becoming Trump’s Running Mate
Vance Echoed The “Great Replacement Theory” After Becoming Trump’s Running Mate. According to the New York Times, “Senator JD Vance of Ohio, former President Donald J. Trump’s running mate, on Friday dug in on his past remarks lamenting that the United States was being run by Democrats without children, arguing that their party had become ‘very anti-child in their messaging and their public policy.’ ‘This is not about criticizing people who, for various reasons, didn’t have kids,” Mr. Vance told Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM radio program, ‘The Megyn Kelly Show.’ ‘This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-child.’ In a wide-ranging conversation that spanned Mr. Vance’s biography and issues such as immigration and race and gender equity initiatives that were central to the Republican National Convention last week, Mr. Vance said that his earlier comments, which prompted bipartisan outrage, had not been aimed at specific families but instead were a broader argument against what he described as a shift in American society against having children. He chastised the nation’s low birthrate, saying that Democrats believed they could ‘replace American children with immigrants,’ and cast himself as a political leader willing to take on the left for what he has called its ‘rejection of the American family.’” [New York Times, 7/27/24]
¶ Vance Praised And Defended Tucker Carlson For Spouting White Supremacist Replacement Theory
Vance Defended Tucker Carlson After He Faced Backlash For Promoting White Supremacist Great Replacement Theory. According to Deadline, “The Anti-Defamation League’s CEO Jonathan Greenblatt condemned Tucker Carlson for defending ‘replacement theory’ on his show Thursday and said that it’s time for the Fox News host to be taken off the network. […] The white replacement theory is a conspiracy theory on the far right and among white nationalists that elites are plotting to replace whites with immigrants. When white nationalists descended on Charlottesville in 2017, some of the most chilling images were of demonstrators carrying torches and chanting, ‘Jews will not replace us.’ […] Coming to Carlson’s defense was J.D. Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy. who reportedly is considering a bid for the Senate in Ohio. ‘Tucker Carlson is the only powerful figure who consistently challenges elite dogma — on both cultural and economic questions,’ Vance wrote. ‘That is why they try to destroy him. Don’t fall for it this time, or any other.’” [Deadline, 4/9/21]
- In April 2020, The Anti-Defamation League Urged Fox News To Fire Tucker Carlson After Carlson Hosted A Segment Suggesting People Of Color Are “Replacing” White Americans. According to Washington Post, “Last week on Fox News, Tucker Carlson argued that immigration to the United States would “dilute the political power” of Americans in a segment that also referenced ‘white replacement theory’ — a discriminatory trope, often weaponized by white nationalists, suggesting people of color are ‘replacing’ White Americans. The segment left the Anti-Defamation League urging Fox News to fire Carlson for his ‘open-ended endorsement of white supremacist ideology,’ the first time the group has made such a demand, according to the Associated Press. On Sunday, Jonathan A. Greenblatt, chief executive and national director of the ADL, repeated those demands on CNN, slamming Carlson for his remarks and condemning the network’s owners, the Murdoch family, for not immediately taking action.” [Washington Post, 4/12/21]
Vance Tweeted That, “Tucker Carlson Is The Only Powerful Figure Who Consistently Challenges Elite Dogma—On Both Cultural And Economic Questions. That Is Why They Try To Destroy Him. Don’t Fall For It This Time, Or Any Other.” According to Vance’s Twitter, “Tucker Calrson is the only powerful figure who consistently challenges elite dogma—on both cultural and economic questions. That is why they try to destroy him. Don’t fall for it this time, or any other.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 4/9/21]
¶ Vance Echoed Carlson’s Rhetoric On The Great Replacement Theory
Vance Echoed Tucker Carlson’s Rhetoric On The Great Replacement Conspiracy. According to an opinion by Greg Sargent in the Washington Post, “Tucker Carlson is under fire for declaring that Democrats want to ‘replace’ the current voting citizenry with “more obedient voters from the Third World,’ to ‘dilute’ the power of U.S. voters. Critics have denounced this as an exercise in ‘great replacement’ theory, which holds that the white race is being erased by deliberate demographic schemes to replace it. On Monday night, the Fox News personality doubled down, insisting that his comments were entirely race-neutral and that they were only about defending the ‘voting rights’ of U.S. citizens. […] But this worldview is also fundamentally anti-democratic to its core. What’s most revealing is Carlson’s underlying presumption that if representatives chosen by U.S. voters allow more outsiders admission to an expanded polity, this cannot be a democratic outcome by definition. The polity must remain restricted to what he and those who agree with him say it must, regardless of what the people actually chose. This is plainly what Carlson really believes. And so do his populist nationalist fellow travelers: J.D. Vance hailed Carlson’s original claim for challenging ‘elite dogma,’ erasing the reality that in 2020 more U.S. voters chose the conception of the nation and ‘the people’ that they both reject.” [Washington Post, Opinion – Greg Sargent, 4/13/21]
¶ Vance Was Accused Of Echoing White Supremacists With His Worries About America’s Low Fertility Rate
Vance Was Criticized In 2020 After He Tweeted That He Was A “Nationalist Who Worries About America’s Low Fertility.” According to Salon, “J.D. Vance, the author of the best-selling Rust Belt memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ and the whisperer of the white working-class, is under fire after calling himself a ‘nationalist who worries about America's low fertility.’ Critics view the label as a nod to both white nationalism and the ‘great replacement’ conspiracy theory, the racist fear that falling birthrates among white women will lead to whites being replaced by non-whites. ‘As a parent of young children and a nationalist who worries about America's low fertility I can say with confidence that daylight savings time reduces fertility by at least 10 percent,’ Vance wrote in a Sunday evening tweet. Vance later characterized his tweet as a joke, though he did not clarify its meaning. He also neither explained his use of the word ‘nationalist,’ which over the last few years has been widely associated with white nationalism, nor his curious claims about fertility.” [Salon, 11/2/20]
Vance Was Accused Of Echoing The Rhetoric Of White Supremacists, Including The New Zealand Mosque Shooter, Who Have Publicly Bemoaned Declining Fertility Rates Among White Women. According to Salon, “But Vance has also been widely criticized for the conclusions he draws from his experiences, as well as for ignoring racial undertones in the culture about which he writes. His comments over the weekend drew similar criticism after being seen by many as dogwhistles for white nationalism and misogyny. While some have argued that ‘nationalism’ with no adjectival modifier may apply to anyone who feels positively about their country, Vance, a white man and graduate of Yale law, explicitly connects a worry about fertility rates to his nationalism. People quickly pointed out that Vance's phrasing echoed the ideology of white supremacists, who have worried for years about declining white birth rates in Western countries. For instance, the white supremacist who carried out a mass shooting at a New Zealand mosque in 2018 repeated the phrase ‘it's about the birth rates’ several times in his manifesto.” [Salon, 11/2/20]
¶ Vance Made Replacement Theory A Central Theme Of His Senate Campaign
Vance Repeatedly Argued That President Biden Sought To End The Policy Of Automatically Sending Immigrants Who Cross The Border Back To Mexico Because Biden Believed Immigrants Were Guaranteed Future Votes. According to Vice, “Ohio GOP Senate nominee J.D. Vance, who won his primary last Tuesday, argued on multiple occasions over the past month that the reason President Biden wanted to end Title 42, which automatically sends immigrants who cross the border back to Mexico, was because he and Democrats see them as guaranteed future votes. At a late-April town hall, Vance claimed that lifting Title 42 would mean 250,000 immigrants entering the U.S. every month, allowing Democrats to import 10 million to 15 million future voters, 70 percent of whom he claimed, without offering evidence, would vote Democratic.” [Vice, 5/10/22]
In Response To A Tweet Discussing How The Trump Base Was Motivated By Fear Of Being Replaced By Non-White People, Vance Tweeted, “What A Piece Of Shit. In (At Least) Three States In This Country, Life Saving Antibodies Are Being Doled Out On Skin Color.” According to Vance’s Twitter, “What a piece of shit. In (at least) three states in this country, life saving antibodies are being doled out on skin color. Ending this overt racism is necessary and good.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 1/16/22]
Vance Tweeted That Biden Had Decided To “Replace The Citizens Of His Own Country With Illegal Foreigners” In Order To “Win In ’24.” According to Vance’s Twitter, “Biden has looked at his approval ratings and realizes that the only way to win in ‘24 is to replace the citizens of his own country with illegal foreigners. The invasion he’s allowing to happen at the border is about power for democrats and nothing more.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 2/16/22]
VIDEO: Vance: “We Need More American Children And More American Families. And The Idea That You Can Just Replace Children With Immigrants Is A Sociopathic Way Of Looking At The Future And At The Next Generation.” According to the Charlie Kirk Show via YouTube, “VANCE: But you can't have so many people coming to the country at a time when our own families aren't replicating themselves […]We need more American children and more American families. And the idea that you can just replace children with immigrants is a propos – it’s sociopathic way of looking at the future and at the next generation. They’re just totally different.” [Charlie Kirk Show via YouTube, 3/22/21]
Vance Tweeted, “Political Parties Using The Immigration System To Boost Their Electoral Prospects? This Is Dangerous, Vile Rhetoric.” According to Vance’s Twitter, “Political parties using the immigration system to boost their electoral prospects? This is dangerous, vile rhetoric.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 5/19/22]
¶ Vance Released A $1 Million Ad Spot That Emphasized Replacement Theory
Vance Released A $1 Million Ad Buy That Argued, “Joe Biden’s Open Border Is Killing Ohioans With More Illegal Drugs And More Democrat Voters Pouring Into This Country” According to Fox News, “GOP Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance is spending $1 million on a statewide ad buy attacking President Biden for the border crisis – just as Biden rescinds COVID-era policy that has been used to expel most migrants since 2020. ‘Are you a racist? Do you hate Mexicans?’ Vance says in a provocative open to the ad. ‘The media calls us racist for wanting to build Trump's wall. They censor us, but it doesn't change the truth. Joe Biden's open border is killing Ohioans with more illegal drugs and more Democrat voters pouring into this country,’ Vance said in the ad.” [Fox News, 4/5/22]
¶ Vance Defended Majorie Taylor Greene For Speaking At A White Nationalist Conference
¶ Vance Defended Marjorie Taylor Greene For Speaking At A White Nationalist Conference, Saying She “Did Nothing Wrong”
In Response To A Question On Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Attendance At A White Nationalist Conference Vance Said, “She Is My Friend, And She Did Nothing Wrong, She Said Nothing Wrong, And I’m Absolutely Not Going To Throw Her Under The Bus.” According to the Columbus Dispatch, “U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's backing Vance, came under fire last month for speaking at a white nationalist conference in Florida. When asked about Greene, Vance accused media outlets of pitting Republicans against one another. He said Greene was simply accused of appearing at an event ‘where somebody said something bad.’ ‘She is my friend, and she did nothing wrong,’ Vance said. ‘She said nothing wrong, and I'm absolutely not going to throw her under the bus.’” [Columbus Dispatch, 3/28/22]
- 2022: Greene Spoke At A White Nationalist Conference. According to Axios, “Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Saturday addressed the America First Political Action Committee's conference, an event organized by Nick Fuentes, who has been labeled a "white supremacist" by the Justice Department. Before Greene spoke, Fuentes praised the conference's ‘secret sauce’ as being ‘white men’ and also defended Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to white nationalism researcher Ben Lorber.” [Axios, 2/26/22]
Vance Campaigned With Marjorie Taylor Greene Ahead Of The Republic Primary Election. According to The Hill, “Two of the House’s most controversial Republicans are hitting the campaign trail for author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance ahead of Ohio’s GOP Senate primary next week. Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) are slated to attend a series of town halls with Vance on Saturday, his campaign announced. Both will appear at events in Newark and West Chester, Ohio, with Gaetz making an additional stop with Vance in East Canton.” [The Hill, 4/27/22]
AUDIO: Vance Called Marjorie Taylor Greene His Friend, Said She Is “Very Often Unfairly Maligned By The Media” And Said His Support For Her Is “Indicative Of The Kind Of Candidate, But Also The Kind Of Leader That I Hope To Be.” According to Bob Burney Live via SoundCloud, “VANCE: I've been endorsed by a congresswoman by the name of Marjorie Taylor Greene, who I think is, you know, a very good person, very conservative, is I think very often unfairly maligned by the media. And I was asked at this debate recently, you know whether, basically I was invited by the moderator to throw her under the bus because she had allegedly done something terrible. And I think my response there is indicative of the kind of candidate, but also the kind of leader that I hope to be, which is that, look, you don't throw your friends under the bus. Just because the media comes after them and frankly misrepresents what they say, you don't throw your friends under the bus.” [Bob Burney Live via SoundCloud, 3/30/22]
¶ Vance Heroized Kyle Rittenhouse, Who Killed Several Black Lives Matter Protesters In Kenosha, Wisconsin
¶ Vance Heroized Kyle Rittenhouse, Who Killed Black Lives Matter Protesters In Kenosha, Wisconsin
Vance: “What’s Happening To Kyle Rittenhouse Is One Of The Ugliest Things I’ve Seen In This Country. Dismiss The Charges With Prejudice; Anything Else Is An Injustice.” According to Vance’s Twitter, “What’s happening to Kyle Rittenhouse is one of the ugliest things I’ve seen in this country. Dismiss the charges with prejudice; anything else is an injustice.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 11/17/21]
- Rittenhouse Shot Three People, Killing Two. According to ABC News, “Amid looting and riots in Kenosha, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse arrived at the scene armed, stating he was there to protect a car dealership from rioters. As the situation escalated, Rittenhouse shot three men, two of whom died. Rittenhouse was charged with two felony counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide. A charge of violating a curfew that was imposed during the protests in Kenosha was later dropped.” [ABC News, 7/20/24]
Vance: “Kyle Showed Far More Courage In His Life Than The Army Of Journalists And Celebrities Calling For His Head Ever Have.” According to Vance’s Twitter, “Kyle showed far more courage in his life than the army of journalists and celebrities calling for his head ever have.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 11/21/21]
Vance Wrote An Opinion Titled: “Media’s Portrayal Of Kyle Rittenhouse Proves Libel Laws Need Reform” [Daily Caller, Opinion – JD Vance, 11/24/21]
- In His Opinion, Vance Argued That The Rittenhouse Case “Should Have Never Been Brought By The Prosecutor In The First Place” And Claimed That The Case Showed How The United States Does Not Have A Free Press. According to an opinion by Vance in the Daily Caller, “The case should have never been brought by the prosecutor in the first place, yet there’s an American institution that performed even more shamefully than the criminal justice system — the corporate media. From the president of the United States to our leading media figures, Kyle Rittenhouse has been lied about, attacked and slandered for more than a year. And the spectacle reveals a ‘free press’ in the United States that believes itself free to lie about, cheat and harass a child. We should take lessons from this, and learn from them.” [Daily Caller - Opinion, 11/24/21]
¶ Vance Peddled The Conspiracy Theory The Tech Industry Censored The Truth Regarding Kyle Rittenhouse
Vance Claimed Tech Companies Were Promoting Disinformation And Censoring The Truth On Topics “From Russiagate To COVID To Kyle Rittenhouse.” According to Vance’s Twitter, “From Russiagate to COVID to Kyle Rittenhouse, disinformation is not just allowed but promoted on the tech platforms. Only when something threatens the regime does it get censored.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 1/2/22]
¶ Vance Had A Close Ally In Russ Vought, Who Defended Christian Nationalism, Had An Anti-Muslim History, And Opposed Ukraine Aid
¶ Vought Was A Close Ally Of Vance
Politico: Vought Was “A Close Ally Of Vance.” According to Politico, “Though they call themselves the ‘New Right,’ they in fact view themselves as the defenders of ‘an older definition of conservatism,’ as Russ Vought, the former director of the Office of Management during the Trump administration and a close ally of Vance, told me. This older definition, Vought said, harkens back to the conservative populism of the interwar period, when the far right of the Republican Party supported high tariffs and strict limits on immigration and opposed American involvement in overseas conflicts — including, infamously, the U.S. entrance into World War II.” [Politico, 3/15/24]
¶ Vought Defended Christian Nationalism, Arguing Christianity Should Influence Government Policy
Vought Said Christian Nationalism “Recognizes America As A Christian Nation” And Christianity Should Influence Government. According to an op-ed by Russell Vought in Newsweek, “My own definition of ‘Christian nationalism’ would be this: An orientation for engaging in the public square that recognizes America as a Christian nation, where our rights and duties are understood to come from God and where our primary responsibilities as citizens are for building and preserving the strength, prosperity and health of our own country. It is a commitment to an institutional separation between church and state, but not the separation of Christianity from its influence on government and society. It is a belief that our participation in the political system can lead to beneficial outcomes for our own communities, as well as individuals of all faiths.” [Newsweek, Op-ed – Russell Vought, 3/22/21]
Vought Said Christian Nationalism Was “A Rather Benign And Useful Description.” According to an op-ed by Russell Vought in Newsweek, “This debate is important, though—once stripped of its superimposed liberal scar tissue, ‘Christian nationalism’ is actually a rather benign and useful description for those who believe in both preserving our country's Judeo-Christian heritage and making public policy decisions that are best for this country. The term need not be subjected to such intense scorn due to misunderstanding or slander.” [Newsweek, Op-ed – Russell Vought, 3/22/21]
¶ Vought Was Influenced In His Christian Nationalist Views By Extremist William Wolfe, An Opponent Of Marriage Equality And No-Fault Divorce
Vought Has Had A Close Relationship With Christian Nationalist William Wolfe. According to Politico, “Vought has a close affiliation with Christian nationalist William Wolfe, a former Trump administration official who has advocated for overturning same-sex marriage, ending abortion and reducing access to contraceptives.” [Politico, 2/20/24]
Wolfe Influenced Vought’s Christian Nationalist Beliefs. According to Politico, “Vought’s beliefs over time have been informed by his relationship with Wolfe. The two spent time together at Heritage Action, a conservative policy advocacy group. And Vought has praised their yearslong partnership. ‘I’m proud to work with @William_E_Wolfe on scoping out a sound Christian Nationalism,’ he posted on X, then Twitter, in January 2023.” [Politico, 2/20/24]
Wolfe Called For Ending Sex Education, Surrogacy, And No-Fault Divorce. According to Politico, “Wolfe, who has deleted several posts on X that detail his views, has a more extreme outlook of what a government led by Christian nationalists should propose. In a December post, he called for ending sex education in schools, surrogacy and no-fault divorce throughout the country, as well as forcing men ‘to provide for their children as soon as it’s determined the child is theirs’ — a clear incursion by the government into Americans’ private lives.” [Politico, 2/20/24]
¶ Vought Said Muslims Have A “Deficient” Theology And “They Stand Condemned”
Vought Said Muslims Have A “Deficient Theology” And “They Stand Condemned.” According to NPR, “Vought, an alumnus of Wheaton, wrote a blog post last year expressing support for his alma mater. He quoted a theologian who said non-Christians have a ‘deficient’ theology but could have a meaningful relationship with God. Vought disagreed. ‘Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology,’ Vought wrote. ‘They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.’” [NPR, 6/9/17]
¶ Vance Was Scheduled To Speak At An Event Hosted By Extreme Christian Nationalist Lance Wallnau
¶ Vance Was Scheduled To Speak At A Town Hall Hosted By The Lance Wallnau Show, A Part Of Their “Courage Tour”
Vance Was Scheduled To Speak At A Town Hall Hosted By The Lance Wallnau Show, A Part Of Wallnau’s “Courage Tour.” According to WPXI, “Vice Presidential Nominee Senator JD Vance will be visiting Monroeville. According to the Trump Vance campaign website, Vance will be a featured guest at a town hall. The event is part of the Courage Tour, hosted by the Lance Wallnau Show. It will be held at the Monroeville Convention Center on Saturday. Doors open at 9 a.m. and Vance will participate at 1 p.m.” [WPXI, 9/25/24]
The “Courage Tour” Blended Religious And Political Activism, And Pushed Attendees To Sign Up To Be Election Workers And Poll Watchers. According to CBS News, “Wallnau leads the so-called ‘Courage Tour,’ a roving event that targets key battleground counties across the country with a blend of religious and political activism. The events encourage attendees not only to get out the vote, but to sign up to be election workers and poll watchers.” [CBS News, 9/4/24]
Wallnau: “We're Going To Flood Election Poll Stations Across The Country With Spirit-Filled Believers.” According to CBS News, “‘You can't make America great again until you restore an awakening with God again,’ Wallnau told the Eau Claire audience, later adding, "Unless you learn how to mobilize and how to move in at a local level, then you're letting the devil dominate your culture.’ ‘We're going to flood election poll stations across the country with spirit-filled believers,’ Standifer told the crowd. ‘We believe it's time to release the roar of Christian voters across America.’” [CBS News, 9/4/24]
¶ Lance Wallnau Proudly Identified As A Christian Nationalist, Claimed Legal Power From Heaven, And Claimed That Trump Was Chosen By God
¶ Lance Wallnau Proudly Declared Himself As A Christian Nationalist, Claiming “Legal Power And Authority From Heaven”
Lance Wallnau: “Yes, I Am A Christian Nationalist.” According to Right Wing Watch, “Right-wing evangelist Lance Wallnau streamed a video on his Facebook page last Friday in which he proudly declared himself to be a Christian nationalist. […] ‘What other message is going to bring a revival to America?’ Wallnau asked. ‘Unless we capture the saving of America, capture the flag. Capture the flag! People say, ‘Oh, Lance, I don’t know, you sound like a Christian nationalist.’ Yes, I am a Christian nationalist. And I will take the flag that God gave us, with his blessed freedom and blessed government and blessed nation, and I will take that flag and lead them to the cross. Give me the flag, and I’ll carry it all the way to Calvary, and I will plant it there where the cross is and say, ‘There’s the one that gave you the nation, there’s the only one that can save this nation. We’ve got to give our lives to Jesus.’’” [Right Wing Watch, 6/3/21]
Wallnau Contributed To The “Watchmen Decree,” Which Proclaimed That Christian Supremacists “Have Been Given Legal Power And Authority From Heaven” To Rule The United States. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “Dutch Sheets, Lance Wallnau, Mario Murillo and Hank Kunneman are four of the most influential Christian leaders in the U.S. Yet most people have probably never heard of them. As leaders of a Christian supremacist movement, they decreed publicly in 2022 that they have the God-given right to rule the United States and that they ‘have been given legal power and authority from Heaven.’ These far-right figures claim to be ‘God’s ambassadors and spokespeople over the earth’ who ‘are equipped and delegated by Him to destroy every attempted advance of the enemy.’ These men who made what is known as the ‘Watchmen Decree’ are among the leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a new and powerful Christian supremacy movement that is attempting to transform culture and politics in the U.S. and countries across the world into a grim authoritarianism. [Southern Poverty Law Center, 6/4/24]
¶ Wallnau, “The Father Of American Dominionism,” Has Been A Leader Of The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)
Wallnau Has Been Dubbed “The Father Of American Dominionism.” According to Rolling Stone, Wallnau has been dubbed ‘the father of American Dominionism,’ a fundamentalist ideology that Christians are called upon to exert God’s will ‘on Earth as it is in heaven.’” [Rolling Stone, 9/29/22]
Wallnau Has Been A Leader Of The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), A Dominionist Movement Which Argues That Christians Are Called To Dominion Over Every Aspect Of Society. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “Dutch Sheets, Lance Wallnau, Mario Murillo and Hank Kunneman are four of the most influential Christian leaders in the U.S. Yet most people have probably never heard of them. […] These men who made what is known as the ‘Watchmen Decree’ are among the leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a new and powerful Christian supremacy movement that is attempting to transform culture and politics in the U.S. and countries across the world into a grim authoritarianism. NAR adheres to dominionism, which Frederick Clarkson of Political Research Associates defines as ‘the theocratic idea that Christians are called by God to exercise dominion over every aspect of society by taking control of political and cultural institutions.’ Dominionism has long been a driver of antigovernment extremism in the United States. NAR is the latest chapter, and possibly the most successful, in dominionists’ modern effort to make their reading of Christianity authoritative and supreme in everyone’s lives.” [Southern Poverty Law Center, 6/4/24]
¶ Wallnau Claimed That Trump Was Chosen By God
Wallnau Claimed That Trump Was Chosen As “God’s Trumpet.” According to CBS News, “That year, White-Cain organized a gathering to introduce Trump to other leading charismatic figures, including Wallnau. After their initial meeting, Wallnau wrote that Trump was chosen as ‘God's trumpet,’ to be ‘a wrecking ball to political correctness.’” [CBS News, 9/4/24]
Wallnau Claimed That Trump Was Anointed By God As A Cyrus Figure. According to CBS News, “Wallnau was one of the first charismatic leaders to spread the idea to his vast social media following that Trump had been anointed by God as a Cyrus for these times. His Trump is a conquering hero, and Wallnau sees his own role as convincing his followers to help with God's work of electing Trump.” [CBS News, 9/4/24]
Wallnau Called Trump A Modern-Day Cyrus, A Historical Persian King Who Conquered Babylon. According to Vox, “Evangelical thinker Lance Wallnau then gives Mitchell his take: Trump is a ‘modern-day Cyrus,’ an ancient Persian king chosen by God to ‘navigate in chaos.’ Mitchell notes that some evangelicals disagree but does not name or cite them. Instead, he cites the growing threat of China, Russia, and Iran, before Wallnau concludes, ‘America’s going to have a challenge either way. With Trump, I believe we have a Cyrus to navigate through the storm.’ The comparison comes up frequently in the evangelical world. Many evangelical speakers and media outlets compare Trump to Cyrus, a historical Persian king who, in the sixth century BCE, conquered Babylon and ended the Babylonian captivity, a period during which Israelites had been forcibly resettled in exile. This allowed Jews to return to the area now known as Israel and build a temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus is referenced most prominently in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, in which he appears as a figure of deliverance. [Vox, 3/5/18]
¶ Wallnau Has Been A Key Figure Behind Ziklag, Which Has Opposed Marriage Equality, Funded The Legal Effort To Overturn Roe v. Wade, And Fought To Purge Voter Rolls
¶ Wallnau Has Been A Key Figure Behind Conservative Christian Nonprofit Group Ziklag
Ziklag Was A Charity Funded By A Network Of Ultrawealthy Conservative Christian Donors. According to ProPublica, “A network of ultrawealthy Christian donors is spending nearly $12 million to mobilize Republican-leaning voters and purge more than a million people from the rolls in key swing states, aiming to tilt the 2024 election in favor of former President Donald Trump. These previously unreported plans are the work of a group named Ziklag, a little-known charity whose donors have included some of the wealthiest conservative Christian families in the nation, including the billionaire Uihlein family, who made a fortune in office supplies, the Greens, who run Hobby Lobby, and the Wallers, who own the Jockey apparel corporation.”[ProPublica, 7/13/24]
Wallnau Has Been A Driving Force Behind Ziklag’s Efforts. According to ProPublica, “A driving force behind Ziklag’s efforts is Lance Wallnau, a prominent Christian evangelist and influencer based in Texas who is described by Ziklag as a ‘Seven Mountains visionary & advisor.’ The fiery preacher is one of the most influential figures on the Christian right, experts say, a bridge between Christian nationalism and Trump.” [ProPublica, 7/13/24]
¶ Ziklag Funded The Alliance Defending Freedom, The Christian Legal Group That Led To The Overturning Of Roe V. Wade
Ziklag Funded The Alliance Defending Freedom, The Christian Legal Group That Led To The Overturning Of Roe v. Wade. According to ProPublica, “Recipients of Ziklag’s largesse include Alliance Defending Freedom, which is the Christian legal group that led the overturning of Roe v. Wade, plus the national pro-Trump group Turning Point USA and a constellation of right-of-center advocacy groups.” [ProPublica, 7/13/24]
¶ Ziklag Opposed LGBTQ Rights, Including Marriage Equality
Ziklag Voiced Strong Opposition To Same-Sex Marriage. According to ProPublica, “Other internal Ziklag documents voice strong opposition to same-sex marriage and transgender rights. One reads: ‘transgender acceptance = Final sign before imminent collapse.’” [ProPublica, 7/13/24]
Ziklag Voiced Strong Opposition Transgender Rights. According to ProPublica, “Other internal Ziklag documents voice strong opposition to same-sex marriage and transgender rights. One reads: ‘transgender acceptance = Final sign before imminent collapse.’” [ProPublica, 7/13/24]
¶ Ziklag Planned To Fund Ballot Initiatives Targeted At The Transgender Community
Ziklag Planned To Fund Ballot Initiatives In Seven States Aimed At The Transgender Community. According to ProPublica, “According to Wallnau, Ziklag also plans to fund ballot initiatives in seven key states — Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Montana, Nevada and Ohio — that take aim at the transgender community by seeking to ban ‘genital mutilation.’ The seven states targeted are either presidential battlegrounds or have competitive U.S. Senate races. None of the initiatives is on a state ballot yet. ‘People that are lethargic about the election or, worse yet, they’re gonna be all Trump-traumatized with the news cycle — this issue will get people to come out and vote,’ Wallnau said. ‘That ballot initiative can deliver swing states.’” [ProPublica, 7/13/24]
¶ Ziklag Aimed To Purge Voter Rolls
Ziklag Planned To Invest Nearly $1 Million In An Artificial Intelligence Tool To Automatically Challenge And Purge Voter Rolls. According to ProPublica, “Now Mitchell is promoting a tool called EagleAI, which has claimed to use artificial intelligence to automate and speed up the process of challenging ineligible voters. EagleAI is already being used to mount mass challenges to the eligibility of hundreds of thousands of voters in competitive states, and, with Ziklag’s help, the group plans to ramp up those efforts. According to an internal video, Ziklag plans to invest $800,000 in ‘EagleAI’s clean the rolls project,’ which would be one of the largest known donations to the group.” [ProPublica, 7/13/24]
Ziklag Aimed To Purge 1 Million Voter Registrations. According to ProPublica, “Ziklag lists two key objectives for Operation Checkmate: ‘Secure 10,640 additional unique votes in Arizona (mirroring the 2020 margin of 10,447 votes), and remove up to one million ineligible registrations and around 280,000 ineligible voters in Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and Wisconsin.’” [ProPublica, 7/13/24]
¶ Wallnau Denied The 2020 Presidential Election Results, Was Scheduled To Speak At The Capitol On January 6th, And Defended The Insurrection
¶ Wallnau Denied The 2020 Presidential Election Results
Wallnau Denied The Results Of The 2020 Presidential Election. According to CBS News, “After Trump lost the 2020 election, charismatic Christians backed Trump's claims that the election had been stolen from him in the weeks leading up to the insurrection on Jan. 6. Wallnau, too, supported him and was scheduled to speak at a rally at the Capitol that day before it was canceled.” [CBS News, 9/4/24]
¶ Wallnau Was Scheduled To Speak At A Rally AT The Capitol On January 6_th_, And He Defended The Insurrection
Wallnau Was Scheduled To Speak At A Rally At The Capitol On January 6. According to CBS News, “After Trump lost the 2020 election, charismatic Christians backed Trump's claims that the election had been stolen from him in the weeks leading up to the insurrection on Jan. 6. Wallnau, too, supported him and was scheduled to speak at a rally at the Capitol that day before it was canceled.” [CBS News, 9/4/24]
Wallnau Defended The January 6 Insurrection. According to CBS News, “In the tent in Eau Claire, Wallnau justified the riots that took place at the U.S. Capitol nearly four years ago. ‘Jan. 6 was not an insurrection,’ he said. ‘It was an election fraud intervention.’” [CBS News, 9/4/24]
¶ Wallnau Attacked Kamala Harris In Racist And Misogynistic Ways
¶ Wallnau Attacked Kamala Harris As Representing “The Spirit Of Jezebel”
Wallnau: Kamala Harris Represents “The Spirit Of Jezebel, And In A Way That’ll Be Even Much More Ominous Than Hillary Because She’ll Bring A Racial Component And She’s Younger.” According to the New Republic, “But the most atavistic, horrifying attack on Harris came from a comparatively lesser-known figure who is a prominent voice within a Christian nationalist movement that has been elevating Trump, who has met with the former president, and who mobilized his supporters to ‘stop the steal’ on January 6—Lance Wallnau, a leading prophet in the New Apostolic Reformation. Harris, said Wallnau on Monday, represents ‘the spirit of Jezebel, and in a way that’ll be even much more ominous than Hillary because she’ll bring a racial component and she’s younger.’” [New Republic, 7/25/24]
Wallnau’s “Jezebel” Attack Was Seen As Racist And Misogynistic. According to the New Republic, “To call a Black woman a ‘Jezebel’ hearkens back to America’s racist and misogynistic history of casting Black women as insatiably sexual, which served to justify slaveholding men’s systematic sexual assault of enslaved women. But for right-wing white Christians of the sort Wallnau is addressing, to say a woman has a ‘Jezebel spirit’ is also to say she is a danger to them, a barely human being hell-bent on seducing men to their destruction and assuming their power. In 2021, around the time that Harris was sworn in as vice president, two white Christian pastors denounced her as a Jezebel. Harris, a Baptist, was defended at the time by other Black Baptists, particularly Black women. ‘To frame a powerful woman as hateful, wily, sexually promiscuous, ambitious and ultimately irresistible is to say more about your powerlessness than her prowess,’ wrote Lokelani Wilson, a religion scholar and longtime member of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, where Harris is from. [New Republic, 7/25/24]
¶ Wallnau Claimed Harris Used Witchcraft To Win Her Presidential Debate With Donald Trump
Wallnau Claimed Harris Used Witchcraft To Win Her Debate With Trump. According to Newsweek, “In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Wallnau claimed that the vice president used supernatural manipulation to gain the upper hand in her combative showdown with the former president. ‘When I say ‘witchcraft,’ I am talking about what happened tonight. Occult-empowered deception, manipulation, and domination,’ Wallnau wrote early Wednesday morning, following the debate. Wallnau, a prominent figure in the pro-Trump evangelical movement, has long portrayed the former president as a divinely chosen leader tasked with saving America from what he describes as a spiritual and political decline.” [Newsweek, 9/13/24]
¶ Wallnau Boosted Doug Mastriano, Who Pursued Abortion Restrictions Without Exceptions
¶ Wallnau Supported Doug Mastriano’s Campaign For Governor Of Pennsylvania, And Called Him A “Christian Colonel”
Wallnau Insisted Doug Mastriano Was Poised To Change History And Was A “Christian Colonel, Who Is In Charge Of The Mountain.” According to Rolling Stone, “Wallnau insisted that Mastriano, a former Army officer, is also poised to change history: ‘Now there’s another Christian colonel, who is in charge of the mountain.’ Referring to Mastriano’s followers as ‘a remnant’ — a biblical term favored by fundamentalists to recognize fellow hardcore believers — Wallnau exhorted them to hold the line against the enemy. ‘They may out-gather, they may outmaneuver; in my opinion they know how to out-cheat,’ Wallnau said of Democrats. ‘But they cannot outflank us if we move as one.’” [Rolling Stone, 9/29/22]
Wallnau: “Colonel Mastriano Is Anointed To Lead.” According to Rolling Stone, “Casting the Republican’s mission as guided by the hand of God — ‘Colonel Mastriano is anointed to lead’ — Wallnau then insisted, ‘the whole country will be affected by what happens in Pennsylvania.’” [Rolling Stone, 9/29/22]
¶ Mastriano Has Introduced Abortion Restrictions WIthout Exceptions For Rape Or Incest, Promised To Pursue As Governor
January 2021: Mastriano Introduced An Abortion Ban That Did Not Contain Exceptions For Rape Or Invest. According to a press release from Sens. Mastriano and Ward, “Heartbeat Bill – Protecting the Rights of the Unborn. The right to life is the single most important issue of our lifetime, but it has been clouded by polarization and politicization. Using observable science and modern medicine as our guide to advance legislation on this sensitive issue – without being clouded by politics – is the best way forward. According to statistics issued by the Department of Health, there were 31,018 abortions performed in Pennsylvania in 2019. Unborn children should be afforded the same justice and rights that are being advocated for all Pennsylvanians. Overall, this legislation would shift the focus on abortion laws to protecting the baby. Our legislation will require physicians – before proceeding with an abortion – to determine whether the baby has a heartbeat. If the baby has a heartbeat, the abortion cannot be performed. No person with a beating heart, no matter how small, should be deprived of the fundamental right to life. A beating heart is an unmistakable sign of life.” [Sens. Mastriano and Ward, Press Release, 1/13/21]
April 2022: Mastriano Said He Would Sign Legislation Restricting Abortion If Elected, Would Not Support Exceptions For Rape, Incest, Or The Life Of The Mother, And Said Doctors Should Be Punished For Performing Illegal Procedures. According to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, “All four candidates said they opposed abortion rights, and would sign legislation restricting it if elected. Mastriano and White said they would not support exceptions in the cases of rape or incest, or where the life of a pregnant person is in danger. Barletta and McSwain said they would support such exceptions. Asked further if they believed doctors should be punished for performing illegal procedures, Mastriano, Barletta, and White all said yes.” [Pennsylvania Capital-Star, 4/27/22]
¶ Vance Praised A Book Which Advocated For The Repeal Of The Civil Rights Act And Defunding Childcare
¶ Vance Praised A Book Which Advocated For Extreme Views, Such As The Repeal Of The Civil Rights Act And Defunding Childcare
Vance Praised A Book Which Advocated For Extreme Views, Such As The Repeal Of The Civil Rights Act And Defunding Childcare. According to the Guardian, “In a December 2023 speech, JD Vance defended a notorious white nationalist convicted over 2016 election disinformation, canvassed the possibility of breaking up tech companies, attacked diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and talked about a social media ‘censorship regime’ that ‘came from the deep state on some level’. The senator’s speech was given at the launch of a ‘counterrevolutionary’ book – praised by the now Republican vice-presidential candidate as ‘great’ – which was edited and mostly written by employees of the far-right Claremont Institute. In the book, Up from Conservatism, the authors advocate for the repeal of the Civil Rights Act, for politicians to conduct ‘deep investigations into what the gay lifestyle actually does to people’, that college and childcare be defunded and that rightwing governments ‘promote male-dominated industries’ in order to discourage female participation in the workplace. Vance’s endorsement of the book may raise further questions about his extremism, and that of his networks. The Guardian emailed Vance’s Senate staff and the Trump and Vance campaign with detailed questions about his appearance at the launch, but received no response.” [Guardian, 8/22/24]