JD Vance slams NYT reporter for calling Trump supporters ‘enemies of the state’: ‘This is disgusting’
The Ohio Senate candidate says the reporter was equating supporters of the former president with domestic terrorists
Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance ripped into The New York Times’ Katie Benner on Wednesday after the reporter suggested in a tweet that Trump supporters should be considered "enemies of the state" following the first day of testimony at the Jan. 6 select committee.
"This is disgusting," said Vance. "Are me and my family domestic terrorists? Are we extremists because we voted for Donald Trump in the last election?"
Vance added that Benner’s comments were not only "preposterous," but also missed the mark on acknowledging the "real" threats facing Americans.
"The biggest national security threat in this country right now is what’s going on at the southern border—it’s not your fellow citizens who voted for Donald Trump. Wake up," Vance added.
"Today's #January6thSelectCommittee underscores the America's current, essential natsec dilemma: Work to combat legitimate national security threats now entails calling a politician’s supporters enemies of the state," Benner wrote in the now-deleted tweets.
She explained that, "As Americans, we believe that state power should not be used to work against a political figure or a political party. But what happens if a politician seems to threaten the state? If the politician continues to do so out of office and his entire party supports that threat?"
Benner, who serves as The Times' DOJ reporter, cast doubt that the Pelosi-appointed committee would find a solution to the "dilemma" since it remained "unresolved" following the Russia investigation and both impeachments of President Trump.
"That leaves it up to voters, making even more essential free, fair access to the polls," Benner concluded.
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Benner later took down the tweets, claiming they were "unclearly worded."
The Times did not respond to Fox News' multiple requests for comment, including an inquiry about whether Benner deleted the tweets at the direction of the paper.
Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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