A former Republican Senate aide has blasted Vice President J.D. Vance for his “Deceptive” reaction to the recent Signal leak scandal.
Tom Nichols, a former GOP Senate aide and current The Atlantic writer, appeared on MSNBC over the weekend to address Vance’s defense of the controversial leak. Instead of condemning the leak of sensitive military information, Vance blamed the media and downplayed the severity of the situation.
Nichols criticized Vance for being deliberately deceptive, stating, “J.D. Vance knows exactly what he’s doing—he’s smart, but he’s choosing to mislead people.”
“I think one of the worst things about the Vice President is that he more than most of them is an intelligent man. He’s being intentionally disingenuous,” he said. “He knows this isn’t just a Signal chat. He’s phrasing it that way because the truth, that the Secretary of Defense spilled highly classified material that could have endangered the lives of American servicepeople over an unsecure app to a room full of people that he wasn’t even clear who was in it at the time, is in fact a horrendous scandal.”
Nichols said the situation was far more serious than just a simple Signal chat.
“The truth is that the Secretary of Defense leaked highly classified information that could have endangered American troops. He shared it over an unsecured app with a group of people whose identities were unclear. This isn’t a minor issue—it’s a scandal of the highest order,” Nichols said.
Nichols also took aim at Pete Hegseth, calling for his resignation over his role in the matter.
You can watch the full segment on MSNBC below:
