JD Vance Aide Called Him “Trump Boot Licker” In Deleted Posts

In a series of unearthed Reddit posts, Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s financial policy adviser Aaron Kofsky discussed his personal drug use and referred to the Republican vice presidential nominee as a “Trump bootlicker “.

Posting under the Reddit handle “PsychoticMammal,” Kofsky documented his long-standing drug use, including substances such as cocaine, kratom and tianeptine, also known as “gas station heroin,” according to With cable. The posts, which have been deleted, date back more than 11 years, continuing as recently as three months ago.

In a Reddit post, Kofsky gave tips 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 are always my favorite,” he wrote in May 2022, according to the story.

Vance has built much of his political career on opposing illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl, to advocating 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: “Amazing! The politician tastes like nitazenes.” In the comments of his own post, Kofsky wrote: “Can’t believe this Trump Vance bootlicker is ahead of the curve here.”

Vance, the author of the memoir He chose Hillbillyhas often 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 policy advisor to Securities and Exchange Commissioner Mark Uyeda.

The With cable The investigation connected Kofsky to the “PsychoticMammal” account through several data points, including references to his former work as a ski instructor and his attendance at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Ohio.

After With cable contacted Kofsky for comment, many of the drug-related posts were deleted, and his account on the social commerce website Poshmark, which used the username “PsychoticMammal,” changed his avatar from a picture of Kofsky to a character of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.

In a statement released by Vance’s office, Kofsky acknowledged the posts and his struggles with drug addiction.

“I have struggled with drug use, which in my case was primarily 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 it and I’m ashamed that it went public in this way, but I’m grateful to say that part of my life is behind me.”

Newsweek has reached out to the Trump campaign by email for comment.