Republican Senator JD Vance and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are scheduled to face off in a vice presidential debate on Tuesday, October 1, at 9 p.m. Eastern.
This will be their first and likely only televised encounter between Walz and Vance before the November election, and NJ Today has provided a fun way to track the discussion.
The debate, hosted by CBS News at their Broadcast Center in New York City, comes three weeks after the presidential debate featuring Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
With disgraced former President Donald Trump cowering from future debates after Vice President Kamala Harris virtually slaughtered him in Philadelphia, the event featuring Vance and Walz will provide Americans the only significant platform to hear the national candidates discuss their records and compare policy positions before the election.
Moderated by Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, the 90-minute debate will follow a structured format: each candidate will have two minutes to respond to questions, followed by a rebuttal period. There will be no opening statements, and candidates will remain at their respective lecterns throughout.
Both candidates have been preparing extensively for the debate. Walz’s preparation has included mock debates with the assistance of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and advisors from previous Democratic administrations. Vance, in turn, has worked with Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) for his preparations.
As the election approaches, Senate Democrats face challenges in retaining their 51-49 majority, which could be influenced by the outcomes of key races, including the one featuring Vance.
Both candidates have engaged in pre-debate attacks on one another, with Walz criticizing Vance and Trump, while Vance has raised questions about Walz’s military service.
The debate will be broadcast live on CBS, with streaming available on CBS News 24/7 and Paramount Plus. Unlike recent debates, there will be no studio audience.
Key topics anticipated to be discussed include women’s reproductive rights, child care, and how each candidate would support their presidential counterpart’s agenda if elected. The debate promises to be a pivotal moment in a rapidly evolving election season.
Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein shared the Trump campaign’s 271-page research dossier on Vance that was compiled to vet him as a potential running mate, a document which came from the alleged Iranian hack.
Klippenstein published the document on his personal Substack, writing: “The dossier has been offered to me and I’ve decided to publish it because it’s of keen public interest in an election season.”
“As far as I can tell, it hasn’t been altered, but even if it was, its contents are publicly verifiable. I’ll let it speak for itself,” said Klippenstein.
The document included Vance’s phone number, home address and email address.
On August 19, the U.S. intelligence community issued a statement on Iranian election interference, including cyber operations attempting to gain sensitive information.
Trump vigorously disputed the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Kremlin was behind 2016 election meddling operations and similar tactics in 2020. During the 2016 election cycle, Trump publicly asked Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Intelligence officials found that Russia is interfering in the 2020 elections to try to support Trump’s reelection, while also meddling in the Democratic primaries to help Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign.
U.S. prosecutors found a Russian effort in 2016 that employed social media to boost Trump’s campaign against Hillary Clinton, part of a broader effort to sow dissension in the American electorate and ultimately help elect a president.
“Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails,” said a joint statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation uncovered extensive criminal activity.
The investigation produced 37 indictments; seven guilty pleas or convictions; and compelling evidence that the president obstructed justice on multiple occasions. Mueller also uncovered and referred 14 criminal matters to other components of the Department of Justice.
Trump associates repeatedly lied to investigators about their contacts with Russians, and the Republican then-President refused to answer questions about his efforts to impede federal proceedings and influence the testimony of witnesses.
A statement signed by over 1,000 former federal prosecutors concluded that if any other American engaged in the same efforts to impede federal proceedings the way Trump did, they would likely be indicted for multiple charges of obstruction of justice.
Despite being advised by then-White House Counsel Don McGahn that he could face legal jeopardy for doing so, Trump directed McGahn on multiple occasions to fire Mueller or to gin up false conflicts of interest as a pretext for getting rid of the Special Counsel.
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