Trump Camp Aims at Deloitte for Leaked Vance Messages

Deloitte executive Kevin Gallagher has found himself at the center of a political controversy after leaking a private conversation between himself and former President Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance to The Washington Post, sparking condemnation from the Trump camp, who are now taking aim at the consulting giant.

"An executive at @Deloitte named Kevin Gallagher decided to interfere in the election & leak private convos with JD Vance to help Kamala Harris," Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X, citing a Post report from Sept. 27.

"Deloitte also gets $2B in govt contracts," Trump Jr. added. "Maybe it's time for the GOP to end Deloitte's taxpayer funded gravy train?"

The Post report disclosed Vance's direct messages from 2020, revealing that he expressed doubt about Trump's chances in the 2020 election. "I think Trump will probably lose," Vance wrote. The newspaper initially did not disclose Gallagher's identity, but Trump Jr. subsequently named him on X.

There's no question that Vance has been publicly critical of Trump before becoming his running mate. But the congressman has since walked back his criticism.

"I was wrong about him," Vance said in May, according to The Hill. "I didn't think he was going to be a good president … and I was very, very proud to be proven wrong. It's one of the reasons why I'm working so hard to get him elected."

Meanwhile, amid a subsequent report from The Post on Monday confirming Gallagher as the one who leaked the messages, the Trump camp fired back. Trump adviser Jason Miller weighed in, according to The Hill, writing: "Kevin Gallagher FAFO," using an acronym for the phrase "f--- around and find out."

Other Trump backers chimed in as well. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., took to X, blasting Deloitte. "This is outrageous and @Deloitte should immediately and publicly respond to this scandal."

In a statement, Deloitte insisted that it remains a nonpartisan organization in an effort to distance itself from the controversy. Gallagher "shared private personal messages on his own volition without the knowledge of Deloitte," the company said. "Deloitte is deeply committed to supporting our government and commercial clients and we have a long track record of doing so across parties and administrations."