Swansenreport

Democrat AGs Skip Vance Anti-Fraud Roundtable — Both Sides Have a Point

Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud roundtable at the White House is happening right now — with 15 Republican attorneys general in the room and zero Democrats. Whether that’s the Democrats’ fault or the administration’s depends on which part of the story you’re reading.

Twenty-four Democratic attorneys general declined the invitation in a joint letter, citing the fact that they were invited on Friday — with a deadline to RSVP by Saturday — while their Republican counterparts were invited a week earlier. “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 wrote. “This short notice does not match the spirit of collaboration that has long defined our joint efforts with federal partners.” WEAR

Politico, citing four administration insiders who spoke anonymously, reported the late invite was deliberate — the meeting was designed as a Republican-only event, with Democrats added as an afterthought in a move described as political positioning rather than genuine outreach. The White House has not disputed the timeline. CNN

Among the Democratic AGs who declined: Minnesota’s Keith Ellison — whose state has been at the center of the administration’s fraud crackdown since January, including the $250 million Feeding Our Future sentencing last week and the IRS bank audits announced by Treasury Secretary Bessent.

The roundtable is the latest meeting of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, created by executive order in March with Vance as chairman and FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson as vice chair. The task force has claimed significant findings since its launch, identifying approximately $6.3 billion in government contracts awarded to potentially fraudulent entities and dispatching letters to nearly 400 contracting businesses demanding proof of legitimacy. Turnto10

The bottom line is this: the administration wanted the visual of Democratic AGs refusing to show up for a fraud meeting — and it got exactly that. The Democrats wanted the visual of being set up for a bad-faith snub rather than genuine collaboration — and they got exactly that too. Vance held his roundtable. Ellison held a competing press conference down the street. The fraud is still out there regardless.

Sources: CNBC | Washington Examiner | NewsNation | Foreign Policy Journal | C-SPAN