Former Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos was usually combative with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) during his interview on ABC News’ This Week on Sunday. The Ohio Republican was asked about Supreme Court rulings and whether it would be healthy for our country for presidents to defy the Supreme Court. Vance also said that Trump should fire disobedient government workers—all of this was based on what Vance said during a 2021 podcast:
I think that what Trump should do, like if I was giving him one piece of advice, fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people. And when the courts – because you will get taken to court – and then when the courts stop you, stand before the country, like Andrew Jackson did, and say the chief justice has made his ruling, now let him enforce it…
Stephanopoulos was aghast at culling government staffers and then supposedly defying the highest court, but that’s not what Vance was talking about. The senator mentioned how the Defense bureaucracy forced Trump away from his plan to redeploy troops in Jordan and Syria after he bombed ISIS into the Stone Age. These forces are now in a shooting gallery against attacks from Iran-backed militias. Vance’s point was simple: people are dying due to bad policy dictated by unelected bureaucrats who defied the authority of the people they are subservient to.
“That’s a fundamental component of our government, George, that whoever is in charge, agree or disagree with them, you have to follow the rules. If those people aren’t following the rules, then, of course, you’ve got to fire them,” Vance added.
But it’s when the discussion veered into a soft academic discussion about atrocious Supreme Court rulings that Stephanopoulos cut off Vance’s mic (via Fox News) [emphasis mine]:
Explosive Moment: Angry ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Hits Breaking Point with Republican JD Vance, Abruptly Cuts His Microphone Off! WATCH pic.twitter.com/VPEuDWDOLD— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) February 5, 2024
