Is J.D. Vance a liar or merely ignorant?

On the subject of J6 pardons, the Vice President either deceived the public, or he was deceived by President Trump.

I am fascinated by the process in which President Donald Trump says something crazy, stupid, or evil, his lickspittle subordinates “clean it up” into a form more palatable, less embarrassing or incriminating, and then the orange clown does exactly what his cronies denied. This recurring pattern would be hilarious were the stakes less severe. I continue to ask: “Did they really not know? Or were the only making believe?”

On January 12, 2025, when asked about whether or not January 6 rioters who viciously beat police should be pardoned, Vice-President J.D. Vance, a man who ostensibly should be trusted to speak for the Trump Administration, said:

“If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there, but we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law.”

Clear. Distinct. Unambiguous.

When I hear Mr. Vance speak with such authoritative words, I trust he has made a real moral judgment. Then again, I thought the same when he called Mr. Trump “America’s Hitler,” so it would be unwise to expect the Hillbilly Elegy author to hold a consistent set of values. Still, it should be shocking for Americans to see that he told a falsifiable lie.

Because what else could it be? Mr. Vance said it was “obvious” that people who committed violence at the Capitol Insurrection should not be pardoned, would not be pardoned, and yet they were pardoned. So either he knew they would be “getting off the hook” decided to mislead reporters—maybe to soothe Americans’ fears about domestic terrorists being loosed again on the streets, veracity be damned!—or he did not know one way or the other, in which case he demonstrated both that he has no shame or compunction against knowingly making statements he cannot guarantee (also known as "talking out of his ass”) and that his ethical coda stands in contrast to the rest of the West Wing’s. Alternatively, he was deceived by Mr. Trump, who does not care about his Vice President’s moral guidance or reputation. The Vice President of the United States now looks to the world like a fool, a liar, and frankly, a bitch. He is either dishonest, unaware of his boss’s intentions, or unable to uphold his so-called principles.

I take a generous interpretation of events and assume that Mr. Vance did truly mean that the violent rioters who shit on the Capitol floor and beat police with flagpoles were too wretched to free. In which case, I hope he has learned a lesson about trusting the inconstant Mr. Trump could ever be more than “America’s Hitler.” I have also learned something important: Nothing the Vice President might say can be trusted to represent the administration he serves because nobody respects his standing enough to stay consistent with him.

We can safely ignore Mr. Vance’s nagging and excusing; now that we see the lack of consistency between his words and the larger Trump administration’s actions, his credibility is gone before the first week has ended.