JD Vance aide called him "Trump boot licker" in deleted posts
In a series of unearthed Reddit posts, Ohio Senator JD Vance's financial policy adviser, Aaron Kofsky, discussed his personal drug use and referred to the Republican vice presidential candidate as a "Trump boot licker."
Posting under the Reddit handle "PsychoticMammal," Kofsky documented his long-standing drug use, including substances like cocaine, kratom and tianeptine, also known as "gas station heroin," according to Wired. The posts, which have been deleted, date back more than 11 years, continuing as recently as three months ago.
In one Reddit post, Kofsky gave advice on how to smuggle drugs through airport security, suggesting hiding them in books or wallets to avoid detection by TSA X-ray machines.
"Coke then opiates is always my go-to," he wrote in May 2022, according to the story.
Vance has built much of his political career on opposing illegal drugs, especially fentanyl, going as far as advocating for the death penalty for drug traffickers.
In a since-deleted Reddit post, PsychoticMammal posted a video of Vance and Kofsky at a Senate hearing in which Vance mentioned nitazenes, a type of opioid.
The user wrote: "Surprising! Politician knows about nitazenes." In the comments of his own post, Kofsky wrote: "I just can't believe that this Trump boot licker Vance is ahead of the curve here."
Vance, the author of the memoir Hillbilly Elegy, has frequently spoken about his personal connection to the opioid epidemic, referencing his mother's struggles with addiction.
Kofsky has been advising Vance on financial policy since May and joined the Senate office in 2022.
His previous roles include work with the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and a stint as a policy adviser to Securities and Exchange Commissioner Mark Uyeda.
The Wired investigation connected Kofsky to the "PsychoticMammal" account through various data points, including references to his former job as a ski instructor and his attendance at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Ohio.
After Wired reached out to Kofsky for comment, many of the drug-related posts were deleted, and his account on the social commerce website Poshmark, which used the "PsychoticMammal" username, had its avatar changed from a picture of Kofsky to a character from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.
In a statement released through Vance's office, Kofsky acknowledged the posts and his struggles with drug addiction.
"I've struggled with drug use, which in my case was mostly an attempt to self-medicate against the effects of epilepsy and epilepsy medication," Kofsky said. "I deeply regret posting these comments. I'm not proud of this and I'm embarrassed it's being publicized in this way, but I am thankful to say that part of my life is behind me."
Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign via email for comment.
