‘I’d Like To Report a Known Fraudster’: Congresswoman Pounces on JD Vance’s Comments About Politicians Who ‘Steal From All of You’ 

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) jumped on comments by Vice President JD Vance, who decried politicians who “steal” from Americans.

Vance made the comments during a speech on Monday, shortly after the Department of Justice announced it is establishing a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who were supposedly unfairly targeted by the DOJ under former President Joe Biden. The fund is being created in exchange for President Donald Trump dropping his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, where in 2019 and 2020, a contractor leaked the president’s tax returns. The $1.8 billion has not been appropriated by Congress, and critics worry that at least some of it will be paid to people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Indeed, a lawyer representing more than 400 Jan. 6 defendants has said his clients will seek payments.

Speaking in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday, Vance reiterated the administration’s refrain about people who defraud the government.

“There’s a simple principle I have,” the vice president said. “If you are committing fraud against the American people, you oughta go to prison. If you are a public official not fighting against fraud, you oughta have your money taken away because you should not be able to steal from all of you and give it to fraudsters.”

In a post on X, Stansbury pounced.

“Hard agree! I’d like to report a known fraudster who stole over $1.7 Billion from federal taxpayers today,” she wrote.

The Trump administration has touted a wide-ranging fraud scandal in Minnesota involving Somali Americans. In a stunning rant in January, Trump said the “only thing” that Somalis are good at is “pirating ships.”

Despite the president’s pledge to target fraudsters, he has granted clemency to more than 70 allies who were convicted in fraud cases.

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