JD Vance Scorched For ‘Grotesque’ Defense Of Trump’s Reported Chats With Putin

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) offered a stunning reaction on Tuesday to new reporting that Donald Trump maintained a relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin after departing the White House.

At a campaign stop in Detroit, a reporter asked the GOP’s vice presidential nominee about Bob Woodward’s reporting in his new book that Trump has had as many as seven calls with the authoritarian leader since he left office.

Vance initially responded by deflecting, saying, “I honestly didn’t know that Bob Woodward was still alive until you just asked me that question,” and calling the legendary journalist a “hack.”

Then, he added: “Even if it’s true, look, is there something wrong with speaking to world leaders? No. Is there anything wrong with engaging in diplomacy?”

As commentators pointed out on social media, yes, there is, actually.

Under the Logan Act, a federal law, private citizens may not engage in unauthorized diplomacy with foreign governments.

“What a grotesque defense. Actually, a former president secretly speaking to a war criminal, an adversary of the US, leader of a terrorist state, is wildly wrong,” one critic noted on X, formerly Twitter, of Vance’s remarks.

“They swiftly moved from the ‘it didn’t happen’ phase to the ‘even if it’s true’ phase,” wrote another on X.

See those reactions and others below.