Why It Matters That JD Vance's Financial Adviser Posted About Drug Use on Reddit for Years

One of JD Vance’s cardinal fiscal advisers successful the Senate, Aaron Kofsky, is down a Reddit relationship with the sanction PsychoticMammal that posted astir utilizing a assortment of drugs, including cocaine, kratom, “gas presumption heroin,” and galore others. The relationship besides calls Vance a “Trump footwear licker” and provides instructions connected however to get drugs done TSA portion traveling.

In 1 of the posts, Kofsky shared a video of Vance astatine a Senate proceeding and provided a fig of different pieces of identifying information. That information, paired with a Poshmark relationship utilizing the aforesaid username and an representation of Kofsky arsenic its avatar, were 2 of the large breadstuff crumbs that helped maine corroborate Kofsky was down the account.

Kofsky’s cause usage puts him successful stark opposition to Vance’s argumentation priorities. During his Republican National Committee code this summer, Vance spoke astatine magnitude astir his mother’s conflict with cause addiction and however it has informed his anti-drug stances. Since joining the Senate, Vance has go 1 of the starring voices against fentanyl trafficking and has joined successful connected erstwhile president Donald Trump’s suggestions that cause dealers should beryllium punished with the decease penalty.

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Kofsky isn’t conscionable a random staffer; helium is Vance’s fiscal argumentation adviser. It’s hard to archer conscionable however overmuch power Kofsky had connected Vance’s crypto policy, but it was capable to warrant a abbreviated Politico profile praising him for it. From what I could archer from his X relationship (before helium locked it yesterday), Kofsky held galore of the aforesaid deregulatory positions arsenic Vance and the crypto manufacture astatine large. In fact, Stand With Crypto, 1 of the largest pro-cryptocurrency ace PACs, has fixed Vance and Trump some a “thumbs up” standing connected the issue. (President Joe Biden got a “thumbs down,” portion vice president Kamala Harris isn’t rated.)

Both the Trump and Harris campaigns person made efforts to triumph implicit the crypto assemblage successful caller months. Just this week, Trump’s crypto co-venture with his sons Eric and Don Jr. launched, but lone a tiny fig of the firm’s crypto tokens were purchased, chiefly owed to the website crashing successful the mediate of the launch. According to WIRED reporting, lone 8,500 radical participated successful the coin’s presale and collectively purchased 750 cardinal of them.

Beyond the Trump family’s idiosyncratic crypto ventures, the run has been raking successful millions of dollars successful donations from coin holders. Tuesday was the past Federal Election Commission deadline earlier the election, and listed successful the Trump 47 associated fundraising committee filing was much than $7.5 cardinal successful donations made successful cryptocurrency, CNBC reported. The associated committee includes the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and authorities enactment committees. While the crypto donations are lone a fraction of the $145 cardinal full raised, the donations inactive amusement the increasing power of what was erstwhile a nascent industry.

That the crypto manufacture intelligibly favors the Trump-Vance run has seemingly spooked the Harris run to immoderate degree. Whether they’re acrophobic of turning disconnected affluent tech donors oregon ostracizing crypto voters (if those beryllium successful immoderate meaningful metric), Harris formally announced her support for the exertion this week arsenic portion of a caller inaugural to support Black men who person invested successful these assets.