Scott Jennings Blasts Vance for Twisted Defense of MAGA Ad

Conservative commentator Scott Jennings has blasted Vice President JD Vance’s defense of a twisted Republican election ad.

The Trump-endorsed candidate for Ohio governor, Vivek Ramaswamy, who is losing in the polls to Democrat Amy Acton, was slammed for a vile ad that exploited Acton’s childhood sexual trauma.

In the election ad, Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accuses her daughter of being a “liar.” Acton was removed from her mother’s custody in 1978 following her alleged rape by her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, whom Arthur defended instead of her own daughter. They have not spoken since. Cledith Arthur died in 2004.

As Ramaswamy’s campaign continues to air the ad, which they have funded to the tune of $4 million, key Republicans, including Vance, have downplayed the bipartisan backlash.

“When I see Republicans, people in my party, reacting so strongly, especially elected officials, have the opinion you want to have on that ad,” Vance said on Wednesday during a press conference in Ohio.

“If you think it was too tough, say it was too tough. If you think it wasn’t tough enough, say that. But I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America.”

“Yeah, he could’ve just ignored it,” Jennings responded, then slammed Vance’s remarks.

“I took some issue with that today because I don’t see people whining about this,” Jennings continued. “I think they are warning about this. There’s a heck of a lot of Republicans in Ohio and elsewhere who would love to see a Republican get elected governor of Ohio, who do not believe that this is a defensible ad, nor do they believe it’s a good strategy.”

He added, “So, whether you take it from the moral view or you take it just from the political strategy view, there’s a lot of concern. That’s not whining. That’s warning.”

The Trump ally pointed out that it was a risky move in a state that is on a “knife’s edge” ahead of the critical midterm elections, to “take shots” at people in the Republican Party who are sharing their opinion on how the campaign should be run.

“I don’t think that’s a particularly good idea,” Jennings said. “This is not whining. From what I’ve heard from my people in Ohio, it’s warning that this may have actually been a backfire. It’s gonna blow up in their face.”

Jennings, who worked as a strategist on presidential campaigns for George W. Bush, said, “Whenever a campaign makes a decision... now you own it. Now you gotta answer for it. Because that’s what people want to talk about.”

He added, “I’ll guarantee there are people who don’t want to talk about this, because they’re wanting to talk about other state issues.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.