Vance says Russia’s election interference is ‘bad’ but not worth responding to

“A lot of countries are going to try to manipulate our voters,” Vance told CBS. Face the Nation. “I think the real question is not what price Russia should pay for posting social media videos, but what is in our interest vis-à-vis Russia. “And I think it’s in our best interest for Russia to stop supporting the Iranians, especially as they engage in acts of aggression.”

Related EuropeVance said, “It is important to stop the murders in Russia and Ukrainianbut this foreign policy It should be dictated by the interests of the United States, not by another country “spreading videos on social media.”

When pressed by host Margaret Brennan about whether election interference crossed a red line, Vance admitted it was “bad.”

“But social media posts and social media videos Margaret, you want us to go to war because the Russians made or paid for a ridiculous video?” said the senator. “Everything we tried, most of the sanctions we tried, went off like a wet firework.”

“We promised at the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war that we would engage in a financial nuclear war against the Russians,” he said. “Biden management, Harris management officials explained how we work. sanctions that they will be disabled economy. They didn’t. “So we have to be realistic about what America can achieve, weigh that against our national interest, and be smart about it.”

Instead, Vance argued that the federal government, public officials and figures should “urge our fellow Americans to be careful” and “don’t trust everything you see on social media.”

“Of course we should step back where appropriate,” he said. “But the real question is: What is the appropriate response to a country producing social media videos? I won’t make any commitment to living here.

Directorate of National Intelligence, FBIand the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency condemned the video shortly after it was reported last Thursday, claiming it was “manufactured and amplified” by Russian actors. In Bucks County, a black election official appears to have destroyed mail-in ballots that did not include Trump, but the Bucks County Board of Elections said the envelopes were “clearly not original materials distributed by or belonging to the board.”

In the wide-ranging interview, Vance also expressed his and the former President’s confidence. Donald Trump He will win this election in Pennsylvania, but he remained open to the possibility of contesting the outcome “if something comes up.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

About a week before the polls closed, Vance appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press in a similar fashion, where Kristen Welker defended Trump’s “enemy from within” comment and once again criticized foreign policy toward Russia and whether the United States should remain a member. mentioned. NATO Under Trump.

“Of course we will fulfill our NATO commitments,” he said. “But I think, Kristen, it’s important that we recognize that NATO is not just a customer of prosperity. There must be a real alliance. This is the strong difference between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Donald Trump wants NATO to be strong. He wants us to stay in NATO. But he also wants NATO countries to bear their share of the defense burden.”