Despite his anti-elite stance, Vance’s connections reveal a more complex relationship with establishment figures. At the same time, as the former president distanced himself from Project 2025—a right-wing policy roadmap that aims to purge the federal government, reshape the executive branch, and transform the United States into a critics described as a Christian nationalist authoritarian state—Vance’s Venmo network reveals his ties not only to Halikias but also to others associated with the maximalist interpretation of MAGA. For example, Gladden Pappin—president of the Hungarian Institute of International Relations and a prominent figure in the close relationship arrive intellectual wing of the far right—appears as one of Vance’s friends.
Sen. Vance’s office declined to comment on the record for this story. In an interview with Newsmax in the first day of this monthHe said the Project 2025 document had good ideas, as well as things he disagreed with. Vance did not elaborate on what those good and bad ideas were. At the time of publication, Vance’s Venmo account was still completely public.
Vance’s friends averaged 277 friends. That vast network of associates suggests an expansive network of accounts that share names with prominent political figures like Cohen, Nick Ayers, Todd Ricketts and Michael Flynn Jr., as well as far-right activists like Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe, Laura Loomer and Ali Alexander.
“What you need to realize is that Vance could be affected,” Andrew Torba wrote on X. Torba is the founder of Gab, a social network popular with conspiracy theorists and Christian nationalists. He has Anti-Semitic content has long been promoted on his social media accounts. “We have a lot of people in his orbit. A lot of our people are able to be put into positions of power because he is there.”
“These appear to be his real personal connections,” said Jordan Libowitz, vice president of communications for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW. He noted that the data found on Venmo is much more personal than what campaigns typically share through official channels, warning that “the more personal data that is made public about someone, the more pressure or influence there is on that person.”
Some of Vance’s transactions were public, and others seemed trivial, like a payment to a staffer for donuts in January. WIRED also found that the Venmo account of his former Senate campaign manager, Jordan Wiggins, showed a more extensive and sometimes surprising transaction history, including more than 50 payments dating back to early 2015, some labeled for things like “Back Waxing & Happy Ending” and “Adult 🎥.” While these descriptions may have been jokes between friends, Wiggins did not respond to a request for comment.
After WIRED contacted Vance’s Senate office on Wednesday, Wiggins made his account transactions private.
Experts say the visibility of Vance’s account could pose problems for high-profile individuals connected to it. “Access to anyone’s social connections could expose sensitive private information and put them at risk for security,” Jennifer Lynch, general counsel at the civil liberties nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, told WIRED. Lynch argued that high-profile politicians like Vance could be particularly vulnerable to social engineering and impersonation attacks. “If a vice presidential candidate doesn’t change their privacy settings, I don’t know how a company can expect the rest of us to be able to track that.”
