The following is a statement from Matt Hildreth, Executive Director of RuralOrganizing.org:
JD Vance’s connections to Purdue Pharma and his fake opioid nonprofit will be an issue for rural voters impacted by the opioid epidemic.
For years, JD Vance has avoided critical questions from the Ohio media about his connections to Purdue Pharma and only a few articles have highlighted his fake charity that hired a spokesperson for the opioid industry. But now, as Donald Trump’s running mate, the full extent of JD Vance’s connection to the opioid epidemic will finally–hopefully–be exposed.
In August of 2022, a blockbuster expose by the Associated Press highlighted not only his gross hypocrisy on the issue of the opioid crisis that has ravaged parts of Ohio, it showed his complicity.
While that entire AP article is a must-read for every voter, this line alone shows how despicable Vance is “An AP review found that the charity’s most notable accomplishment — sending an addiction specialist to Ohio’s Appalachian region for a yearlong residency — was tainted by ties among the doctor, the institute that employed her and Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin.”
One thing that’s always been clear about J.D. Vance is that he’s put his politics over the people of Ohio.
We’ve long known Vance is a phony, funded by a secretive tech billionaire. He’s got nothing but disdain for so many Ohioans, many in rural parts of the state, who have been impacted by the opioid crisis. And he’ll do the same for the rest of the country.
Maybe now that he’s a VP nominee, we can finally get some more answers.
The following is a statement from Brent Edwards, Ohio State Director, Organizing for RuralOrganizing.Org:
RuralOrganizing.org will continue to expose the truths behind the many fictions that make up J.D. Vance’s public image. Peter Thiel and associated oligarchs have promoted Vance’s retrograde ideals as the new mainstream of “Ultra-MAGA” that now dominates the Republican Party.
As AP showed us in 2022, Vance not only poisoned our civic life with his outright lies and discord, but that he has also been big pharma’s most staunch ally in setting the stage for the opioid epidemic that struck down countless Ohioans through addiction and death.
As a Senator, whenever the choice was to stand with the people of our state, like passage of Senator Sherrod Brown’s bipartisan, FEND Off Fentanyl bill, Vance didn’t support it. Why? Because Trump wanted him to vote no on the bill that included it. He never put Ohioans first – and won’t do it for the rest of the country. From now through election day RuralOrganizing.org will present the truth on Vance’s origin and agenda online, on paid media, and directly at voter’s doors.”
The mission of RuralOrganizing.org is to rebuild a rural America that is empowered, thriving, and equitable. Follow us on Twitter @RuralOrganizing.
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