‘A LOT DEEPER’

Republican Senator Lobs Jaw-Dropping Insult at Vance

John Kennedy ripped the vice president’s explanation for the GOP’s midterm losses.

A Republican senator has insulted JD Vance for blaming the GOP’s disastrous midterms on the Iran war, telling him to “put down the crack pipe.”

Vance, in a lengthy social media post the morning after Election Day, declared that voters were angry with the administration over the Iran war, cost of living and inflation, not adhering to the “America First” mantra, and the country’s relationship with Israel.

“Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats,” he wrote. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.”

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But Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy begged to differ.

“I don’t think the vice president did himself any favors by sending out that email or tweet or whatever it was after the election,” he said on CNN’s The Arena. “This loss was not because of Iran. That might have played a part, but I don’t think every statewide Republican in Texas lost their election—every single one—because they think American foreign policy is too interventionist. I mean, put down the crack pipe! It’s a lot deeper than that.”

Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The vice president has spoken publicly about his mother’s struggle with drug addiction before she achieved sobriety in 2015.

Vance, 42, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, was reportedly opposed to the war before Donald Trump began it in late February.

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Kennedy, who was not up for re-election but who witnessed a Democrat flip a GOP Senate seat in neighboring Mississippi, said his party was outmatched during the campaign when it came to addressing Americans’ economic concerns.

“I think the Democrats did a better job—a much better job—of acknowledging the economic pain that the American people are going through,” he said.

Kennedy, 74, also said Trump needs to take more responsibility for the economy instead of blaming his predecessor for its problems.

“The economy belongs to President Trump. He might not have fathered this child, but he’s got to raise it,” he said.

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