AOC says JD Vance wants Americans to accept corruption as ‘normal’ after Watergate comparison

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sharply criticized Vice President JD Vance on Friday, June 26, arguing that his recent comments about the Watergate scandal reflected a broader acceptance of corruption in American politics.

Speaking during an appearance on MSNBC, the New York Democrat said Vance's remarks revealed what she described as his vision for the country's future rather than simply his assessment of history. Her comments came a day after Vance suggested that the Watergate scandal would have received only brief media attention if it occurred today.

AOC says Vance's remarks reveal his vision for governing

Responding to Vance's comparison between Watergate and today's political climate, Ocasio-Cortez said the vice president's comments reflected an acceptance of the current political system rather than criticism of it.

"I think what it reveals more is about what JD Vance's vision for America is, which is that he wants more of the same," she said. "He doesn't want anything to change in this country. He wants to continue the reality that corruption is banal, normal."

Ocasio-Cortez went on to accuse Vance of accepting conduct that she argued should receive greater public scrutiny.

"And he loves the way that the country is being governed right now. He loves that you can start an illegal war and make tons of people rich, send Americans into harm's way, and that it'll barely be a blip on people's radar. He loves that we can engage in record levels of corruption and get away with it."

She concluded that Vance's remarks were less significant as a historical observation than as an indication of how she believes he views the country's future. "And so in that statement, it's less about the acknowledgment of the reality, but it's that his vision for the future is exactly the same, and that your life won't change if so long as he's in charge."

Vance argued Watergate would be a brief news story today

Ocasio-Cortez's comments followed Vance's appearance at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, where he discussed former President Richard Nixon while promoting his new book, Communion.

Vance argued that the political and media environment has changed dramatically since the Watergate scandal, saying, "If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story. The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy."

The vice president also drew parallels between Nixon's presidency and President Donald Trump's first administration, arguing that both faced opposition from entrenched government institutions.

"If you look at the story of how the deep state took down Richard Nixon, it's not all that different from what the same groups of people, the same institutions, tried to do to Trump in the first administration. There is a parallel," Vance said.

The Watergate scandal began with the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and the subsequent cover-up by members of the Nixon administration. The scandal ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, making him the only US president to resign from office while facing near-certain impeachment.