Mitt Romney’s Former Strategist: JD Vance Is Compelled to ‘Defend Nazis’ to ‘Advance’ In the Republican Party

Stuart Stevens — the chief strategist for Mitt Romney’s doomed 2012 presidential campaign —  told MS NOW on Sunday that Vice President JD Vance believes he has to “defend Nazis” because that is the best way to “advance” in the Republican Party.

Stevens made the eyebrow-raising claim while appearing on Alex Witt Reports. He was asked by host Alex Witt if he expected “more violence” following the shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota last week.

“Yeah, of course there’s going to be more violence,” Stevens said, before adding “we should find out if a grand jury will charge him with murder.”

He then took issue with Vance defending the ICE officer who shot Good.

“This is not unique, [ICE agents] do not have immunity as JD Vance tries to pretend,” Stevens said. “It just goes to sort of a sickness at the core of the Republican Party. Why does JD Vance go out there? Why does JD Vance go out there and defend Nazis?”

It is unclear what example he was referring to — or if he was referring to ICE agents as Nazis.

Stevens said Vance is compelled to defend Nazis because it will help him win the 2028 GOP nomination over Marco Rubio. 

Here said:

Just think about it, you’re sitting around your office and you hear your boss say “You know, there are a bunch of Republicans out there [that are] pro-Nazi — I’m gonna defend them!” Like really? Why does he do that?

Because he knows that the way you advance in the Republican Party — the way the party is now — is who can be the most transgressive. So he’s in this sort of shadow battle with Marco Rubio for the nomination.

So “I’m gonna go out and defend Nazis, let’s see if Marco Rubio will go that far.” And it’s just something that has happened in the Republican Party that is deeply, deeply sick.

Witt said Stevens and her other guest Molly Jong-Fast had given viewers “a lot to think about.”

She also agreed with Stevens that the “vast majority” of law enforcement officers “abide by the law, they deserve our respect, and they should be shown appreciation for the really tough job that they do.”

Stevens is now a senior adviser for The Lincoln Project.

Watch his comments above.