Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) contended during the vice presidential debate on Thursday that censorship poses a “threat to democracy” and his Democratic Party rivals do not want to discuss it.

CBS News journalist Nora O’Donnell, a moderator in the debate, asked Vance if he would seek to challenge the results of the 2024 election after suggesting he would not have certified the last presidential contest without alternate electors.

Vance argued that he and his running mate, former President Donald Trump, are “focused on the future.” He discussed unwinding the “inflation crisis” as an example.

VANCE: "I believe that we actually do have a threat to democracy in this country. But unfortunately, it's not the threat to democracy that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz want to talk about.

It is the threat of censorship." pic.twitter.com/UXyayO95JL

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 2, 2024

Getting to the question at hand, Vance noted how Trump drew attention to “problems” in the 2020 election. Vance also said his personal stance was to debate those concerns “peacefully in the public square.”

After giving a reminder that Trump himself urged his supporters on January 6, 2021 — the day a Capitol riot disrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election results — to “protest peacefully,” Vance turned his focus toward the current administration.

“I believe that we actually do have a threat to democracy in this country, but unfortunately, it’s not the threat to democracy that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz want to talk about. It is the threat of censorship,” Vance said.

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Vance also said that Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, has been “engaged in censorship at an industrial scale” over COVID-19 and other things.

The comment follows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying in a recent letter that the Biden-Harris administration “repeatedly pressured” his company to censor content related to COVID during the pandemic.

“That, to me, is a much bigger threat to democracy than what Donald Trump said when he said protesters should peacefully protest on January the 6th,” Vance added.

Vance was facing Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz in the debate.

The moderators of CBS News’ vice presidential debate, Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, became the story when they decided to first fact-check JD Vance (R-OH) live during the debate and then cut his mic when he tried to respond.

On Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump’s running mate Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced off as the CBS moderators asked a host of questions on the topics of climate change, inflation, and abortion.

However, when the issue of immigration and the border crisis was brought up, Brennan broke the rule CBS had agreed to with both candidates and decided to live fact-check Vance on his comment about the migrant crisis in Springfield, Ohio.

Brennan said, “And just to clarify to our viewers, Springfield, Ohio, does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status. Temporary protected status.”

Vance then attempted to respond, and said as long as they are going to “fact check him.”

CBS NEWS VIOLATES THEIR OWN RULES, FACT-CHECKS JD VANCE AND CUTS HIS MIC AS HE’S EXPLAINING KAMALA’S OPEN BORDER pic.twitter.com/PR5wvKmn9W

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 2, 2024

“Margaret, the rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check. And since you are fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on,” Vance said as he attempted to talk about how under the Biden-Harris administration, some illegal aliens can get “legal status” through the CBP One App. He also pointed out how that’s not the same as a person applying for a green card and waiting for ten years.

Brennan then said, “thank you, senator, for explaining the legal process,” and when Vance tried to respond, the network cut both of the candidates’ microphones.

Political commentators then took to social media and blasted CBS.

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“F you CBS – how DARE YOU,” the host of “The Megyn Kelly Show” Megyn Kelly podcast wrote on X to her millions of followers. “The moderator’s NEED to have the last word on everything is infuriating.”

Meghan McCain added, “Did they seriously just f***king mute them?!?”

“JD Vance just absolutely destroyed that CBS fact check. Love it!” Clay Travis wrote.

“Yes! Yes! Vance isn’t letting these harpies get away bulls*** ‘fact checks,’” Buck Sexton wrote. “He’s so much smarter and more adept than them!”

Another person wrote, “Okay, the fix is starting. Sideswipe fact checks. Lib premise questions. CBS is doing exactly what we expected. But Vance is unflappable…”

While another person wrote, “CBS: we aren’t going to fact-check. CBS: fact-checks Vance. Vance: if you’re going to fact check let’s get the facts right. CBS: how dare you call our bias out *cuts mics*.”

Related: ‘Disgraceful’: Megyn Kelly Slams ABC News Debate Moderators Helping Harris