Incoming Vice President JD Vance lashed out at the chief financial officer of Steve Bannon’s podcast on Tuesday for criticizing him for missing a Senate vote - and called her a “mouth breathing imbecile.”
In a short-lived scuffle on X, Grace Chong, who oversees Bannon’s WarRoom financials, called out Vance, Florida’s Marco Rubio and other GOP senators for skipping a vote to block President Joe Biden’s judicial picks.
“You guys better show up and do your one fricken job!!” Chong wrote in a now-deleted post on X. She directly tagged Rubio – Trump’s Secretary of State nominee – and Vance while calling on other Senate Republicans to show up.
Chong was referring to the Republican-led effort to block Biden’s judicial nominations that Democrats are hoping to pass before Biden leaves office. Trump has been encouraging Senate Republicans to show up and vote against the judicial nominations.
However, Vance didn’t find Chong’s suggestion helpful.
“Grace Chong is a mouth breathing imbecile who attacks those of us in the fight rather than make herself useful,” Vance responded in a now-deleted post.
Vance went on to explain he was helping Trump interview potential FBI director contenders as well as other government positions. Even if he, and every other Senate Republican, showed up they still would have failed to block Democrats’ efforts.
JD Vance responds to Steve Bannon’s War Room CFO’s criticism of him for missing a vote on a crucial judicial appointment last night, calling her “a mouth breathing imbecile.” pic.twitter.com/PYJiSmL1Pe
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 19, 2024
“I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45. But that’s just me,” Vance added.
In responding to Chong’s criticisms, Vance seemingly confirmed suspicions that he and the president-elect intend to replace the current director, Christopher Wray, despite his term expiring in 2027.
Trump nominated Wray, a fellow Republican, in 2017 after firing James Comey. Though the two were once allies, Wray has earned Trump’s ire for cooperating with federal investigations such as overseeing the Mar-a-Lago raid as part of the classified documents case.
After the exchange between Vance and Chong, Vance showed up to the Senate chamber to vote against a federal nominee to a court in Oregon. The nominee was ultimately confirmed in a 50–44 vote.
