Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) shared his thoughts on Vice President JD Vance defending President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund on Sunday’s episode of NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“You know, I feel sorry for JD Vance. I mean, they’re trotting him out to defend policies he knows are defiant of common sense. They’re trotting him out to defend the Epstein class when he actually was one of the advocates for releasing the files,” Khanna said.

“They’re trotting him out to defend this war in Iran when his whole career he was against these wars. And now they’re trotting him out to defend Donald Trump stealing taxpayer dollars to give to his political allies.”

Khanna said that Vance has “basically become the spokesperson for very unpopular policies.”

“I mean, I’m sure if JD Vance was asked, in honesty, he would say, ′ Why aren’t we giving this as a check to people whose gas prices are going up?′ But for his own ambition, he has been so convoluted,” he added.

Khanna’s remarks came after moderator Kristen Welker played back a clip of Vance defending the fund.

In the clip, Vance said, “Anybody can apply for [the fund]. Republicans can apply for it. Democrats can apply for it. As you know the president of the United States has pardoned a number of Democrats who he felt were actually subject to this lawfare. I mean, if Hunter Biden were to apply for this particular fund, he is welcome to.”

Trump’s fund, which critics are calling out as a slush fund for his allies, has been hit with legal challenges since the Department of Justice announced it was launching the fund earlier this month as part of a settlement to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.

The fund is anticipated to give payouts to Trump allies who claim mistreatment from the Biden-era Justice Department, including the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

After facing severe bipartisan backlash, Trump defended the fund in a Truth Social post on Friday.

“I gave up a lot of money in allowing the just announced Anti-Weaponization Fund to go forward. I could have settled my case, including the illegal release of my Tax Returns and the equally illegal BREAK IN of Mar-a-Lago, for an absolute fortune,” he wrote. “Instead, I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration, receive, at long last, JUSTICE!”

Watch Khanna’s appearance on “Meet the Press” below. Skip to the 3:50 mark to hear the congressman’s remarks about Vance.

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