Democratic attorneys general turned down an invitation to JD Vance’s anti-fraud roundtable on Tuesday. The AGs informed their decision in a letter to the Vice President, giving the reason behind not attending the event.
24 Democratic Attorney Generals skip JD Vance’s meeting
24 Democratic state attorneys general have declined to attend Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud initiatives roundtable meeting at the White House on Tuesday. They made the decision as an objection to receiving the invitation on Friday, while the Republican attorney generals had received it much earlier.
In a letter to Vance on Tuesday, the Democrat AGs wrote, “While we would appreciate the opportunity to engage in serious discussions, the invitation was provided with less than one business day’s notice with no agenda.” They added, “This short notice does not match the spirit of collaboration that has long defined our joint efforts with federal partners. Accordingly, we respectfully decline to attend at this time.”
An anonymous source spoke with CNBC, sharing that the organizers initially intended Tuesday’s event only for Republican attorneys general. However, JD Vance reportedly argued that Democrats should also participate.
At the beginning of the event, Vance said, “This should not be a partisan effort.” He added, “Everybody should care about fraud. Everybody should care about rooting out fraud. Everybody should care about saving the American taxpayers money. And importantly, everybody should care about actually protecting the programs that only work and are only properly funded.”
In the letter, the 24 attorneys general wrote, “We are committed to stopping fraud, waste, and abuse in all government programs across our states, and are proud of our continued partnership with the federal government in this mission.”
They concluded, stating, “We are committed to working constructively to combat fraud and welcome a productive dialogue on these issues. With appropriate notice and a genuine opportunity for engagement, we would welcome the chance to participate in a future meeting and contribute to a productive dialogue.”
