VP Vance Pushes Back On The Gerald Ford Comparison

Please consider $upporting GDPolitics by scanning the QR code below or clicking on this link

On the 11/12/25 edition of The Last Word with Lawrence Oโ€™Donnell, host Lawrence Oโ€™Donnell made a striking observation: current Vice President J.D. Vanceโ€™s near-silence on the swirling Jeffrey Epstein files scandal mirrors the posture then-Vice President Gerald Ford assumed as Richard Nixonโ€™s presidency was collapsing under the weight of Watergate. Oโ€™Donnell pointed out that Ford, sensing the sinking of Nixonโ€™s Presidency, deliberately kept his head downโ€”he knew the ghosts of Nixon would dog his tenure if he didnโ€™t distance himself.

By the same logic, Oโ€™Donnell argued, Vance appears to be doing exactly that: he knows the Epstein files may blow up and run Donald Trump out of office, and thus is doing everything he can to not get sucked into the scandal, to avoid becoming the next Ford.

As expected, social media erupted following Oโ€™Donnellโ€™s segment. I posted a clip of the show, and to my surprise the reaction came from none other than the Vice President himself. Thatโ€™s how provocative the comparison proved.

In his response, Vance strongly objected to Oโ€™Donnellโ€™s suggestion that he was intentionally silent about the Epstein scandal. Vance pointed out that he had addressed the issue in prior TV appearancesโ€”citing his interview on Hannity scheduled for 11/13/25, which coincided with the date I posted the segment.

Interestingly, in that very 11/13/25 show Oโ€™Donnell claimed Vance had in fact ignored the Epstein issue entirelyโ€”and reaffirmed: โ€œHeโ€™s still Gerald Ford.โ€

Now that the โ€œGerald Fordโ€ comparison has caught Vanceโ€™s attentionโ€”and by implication, the Presidentโ€™sโ€”it will be fascinating to watch how it plays out going forward.

Did Russia Funnel Money To TeamTrump Through The NRA?

$upport via Cash App

One of the biggest obstacles for Democrats, especially in the battle for control of State Legislatures has been the powerful gun lobby group National Rifle Association(NRA). Unlike other powerful lobby groups that influence both the Republican and the Democratic Party, the NRA literally has a stranglehold on the Republican party. NRAโ€™s stranglehold on the GOP is so bad, even President Trump recently had to ask GOP Members of Congress not to be โ€œafraid ofโ€ the gun lobby group when discussing sensible gun control proposals. Marion Hammer, a powerful NRA lobbyist in Florida for example is so feared by Florida State GOPers, that sheโ€™s dubbed โ€œThe Real Gov of Florida.โ€ Such is the power the NRA wields over the GOP

The troubling news therefore that the FBI is investigating the NRA as a possible vehicle for funnelling Russian money to help Trump in the 2016 elections should be of great concern to Democrats. New York Times Columnist Frank Bruni said on CNNโ€™s Outfront with Erin Burnett that the NRA spent a whopping $30M to help Trump get elected, which is more than they spent the last two Presidential cycles combined. A Russian banker Alexander Torshin who has ties to Putin is an NRA life member and the key suspect in the alleged funnelling scheme. Torshin apparently wanted to create a โ€œback channelโ€ between the Trump Campaign and Russia and one of his associates reportedly told a Trump campaign staffer that โ€œPutin is deadly serious about building a good relationship with Mr. Trump.

Under normal circumstances this would be just another questionable daliance between a powerful U.S. gun lobby group and a foreign financier. However against the backdrop of an ongoing Special Counsel investigation into U.S. election meddling by the Russians, this strange relationship between the NRA and the Putin-allied Russian financier has become a much more serious issue, one that Americans trust Mueller and Co. will get to the bottom of.

It also bears pointing out, as New York Times Columnist Frank Bruni did that Trumpโ€™s son Donald Trump Jr, is a major NRA supporter and activist. Trump Jr youโ€™ll remember is already in the middle of a very questionable meeting with Russian lawyer Natalya Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower. Veselnitskaya has since confessed that sheโ€™s an informant for Putinโ€™s Kremlin

Simply put, the NRA-Russia story is a major story that could affect the Dem political fortunes from here on out. According to CNN Political Correspondent Sara Murray, the NRA is privately, very concerned about the FBIโ€™s investigation into its ties to the Russian Banker(vid at 14:00). Obviously we Dems have to be patient and allow the feds to conduct their investigation into the NRA but just like Trump used the ongoing Clinton email probe to hamstring her 2016 campaign, there is no reason why the DNC should not pummel NRA-allied GOP candidates over Russian money as we head to Midterms 2018, the perfect target being Sen Ted Cruz

For those of you very happy with @Emolclauseโ€™s activism donโ€™t shy away from the โ€œtip jarโ€ below on your way out. You may also Cash App

Email author at admin@grassrootsdempolitics.com

Become an Octapharma Plasma donor. Make up to $200 in one week and help save lives too!ย Learn More