Vice President JD Vance unloaded on Politico reporter Felicia Schwartz Friday morning following her report on Steve Witkoff’s supposed failures at helping negotiate an end to the Russo-Ukraine War, calling the story “journalistic malpractice” and accusing her of participating in a “foreign influence operation.”
“This story from Politico is journalistic malpractice,” Vance wrote in a social media post on X. “But it's more than that: it's a foreign influence operation meant to hurt the administration and one of our most effective members.”
The Politico report, also published Friday morning, details frustration among American, Ukrainian and European officials with Witkoff’s performance as President Donald Trump’s “go-to negotiator on Ukraine,” with many pointing to the real estate investor-turned-diplomat’s “inexperience.”
Vance, in a 351-word response, criticized Schwartz for her use of anonymous sources in her story, with the American officials largely being unnamed due to fear of retaliation. He also went on to accuse Schwartz of supporting efforts to “blow up the president’s efforts to make peace,” giving to “possible explanations” as to why she wrote the story.
“Felicia is just not very smart, and allowed herself to be used by deep state con men,” Vance wrote as one of his proposed explanations. “Or she's in on it, and used her position to willingly participate in a literal foreign influence operation. Either way, it's disgraceful.”
Schwartz’s report quoted a number of United States officials who disparaged Witoff’s negotiating style; one called him a “rogue actor,” another said he wasn’t “consistently engaged,” and that Witkoff “appears to struggle to focus on more than one task at a time.”
Witkoff’s supposed failures come in the wake of Trump’s one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska earlier this month, followed by his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A third meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy was announced by Trump, but has yet failed to materialize, with no date for such a meeting in site.
This story from Politico is journalistic malpractice. But it's more than that: it's a foreign influence operation meant to hurt the administration and one of our most effective members.
Notice how all of the people attacking Steve are on background? That means it's two or three… https://t.co/LsPmTpZfqy
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 29, 2025