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‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Author Exits Board of AgTech Company

Hillbilly Elegy’s Vance Leaves Board After Controversial Tweets

JD Vance, the author of the best-selling “Hillbilly Elegy,” has exited the board of directors of AppHarvest, according to an emailed statement from the $1.6 billion indoor agriculture company.

The newly public Kentucky firm told Bloomberg News of Vance’s departure, in response to an inquiry about some of Vance’s recent statements. On Twitter, he’d written that taxes should be raised on businesses that oppose a new spate of state-level voting restrictions.

‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Author Exits Board of AgTech Company

He also called Fox News host Tucker Carlson “the only powerful figure who consistently challenge elites dogma,” after Carlson came under fire for saying that “the Democratic party is trying to replace the current electorate,” a frequent talking point of white supremacists.

Vance, who is currently a partner at venture capital firm Narya Capital Management LLC and is often mentioned as a possible candidate for political office, didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment sent through LinkedIn.

“His views are his own,” an AppHarvest spokesperson told Bloomberg News.

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