By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The document lays out many of the Republican Ohio senator’s vulnerabilities.
A recently leaked 271-page dossier onRepublican vice presidential nominee JD Vance offers a comprehensive look into his political and personal history, raising concerns about his shifting positions, past criticisms of former PresidentDonald Trump, and controversial stances on key policy issues.
Published on Thursday by journalist Ken Klippenstein on his Substack, the dossier, which was reportedly obtained through an Iranian hack, provides a deep dive into Vance’s career, including details about his past opposition to Trump, his inconsistent conservatism, and his unorthodox views within the Republican Party.
The dossier highlights numerouspolitical vulnerabilities for Vance, particularly his critiques of Trump during the 2016 election. Notably, Vance described himself as a “never Trumper” and criticized the former president’s fitness for office, going as far as to suggest that Trump’s election would be “terrible for the country.” According to the dossier, he also linked Trump’s base of support to racial resentment, an accusation that resurfaced during the 2020 election cycle. Vance’s past comments, including a now-deleted tweet questioning how many women Trump had allegedly assaulted, paint a picture of a politician who was once highly skeptical of Trump’s leadership and policies.
One of the dossier sections explores Vance’s criticisms of the conservative legal movement. After the 2020 Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, that protectedLGBTQ+ workers from workplace discrimination, Vance took toTwitter to express his dissatisfaction, writing, “The conservative legal movement has accomplished two things: libertarian political economy (enforced by judges) and betrayal of social conservatives and traditionalists.”
Vance’s economic views also set him apart from mainstream Republicans. The dossier reveals his opposition to the 2017GOP tax cuts and his support for higher taxes on capital gains, U.S. businesses, and individuals without children. These stances, along with his criticisms of corporate interests and his advocacy for labor union reforms, mark significant departures from traditional Republican economic policies, according to the dossier. The dossier notes that Vance has even questioned the emphasis on free-market principles, arguing instead for policies that prioritize the nuclear family.
Additionally, the dossier outlines Vance’s opposition to some of Trump’s key initiatives, including the border wall and the repeal of Obamacare. Vance had been critical of Trump’s immigration policies, attributing the border crisis to business interests seeking cheap labor. On healthcare, Vance opposed Trump’s efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, expressing concern for those who might lose access to Medicaid and other healthcare services.
The document also includes sensitive personal information about Vance, such as his partial Social Security number, multiple home addresses, and several variations of his name. This unredacted data raised privacy concerns, with X (formerly Twitter) blocking access to the dossier. Klippenstein, whose X account was suspended for sharing the document, defended his decision to publish it, arguing that it was in the public interest. Harvard Law School’s Alejandra Caraballo faced similar censorship after sharing a link to the dossier archive despite her post not containing the document itself. “This is purely about censoring the story,” Caraballo tweeted after her account was reinstated.
On Friday, a federal indictment was unsealed, accusing three Iranian nationals of engaging in a widespread hacking campaign linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The indictment detailed how these hackers targeted U.S. political campaigns, including individuals connected to the Trump-Vance campaign. The hack-and-leak operation aimed to disrupt the 2024 election by stealing campaign materials and disseminating them to the media, echoing earlier foreign election interference efforts, the indictment claims.
The indictment says that beginning in early 2020 and continuing until recently, the hackers gained unauthorized access to sensitive campaign documents and emails by using spearphishing techniques and social engineering. According to court documents, The stolen materials, including information about debate preparation and vice-presidential candidates, were then leaked to influence the election.
