WATCH: JD Vance Sidesteps Questions On Laura Loomer’s Racist Comments About Kamala Harris — In Tense Exchange With NBC’s Kristen Welker

Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) deflected and declined to offer a straight answer Sunday when NBC’s Kristen Welker pressed him on racist comments conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer made last week about Indian Americans.

Vance has been married to Usha Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants, since 2014. Together they share three biracial children. On Sunday’s edition of Meet the Press, Welker put the screws to the senator over Loomer’s close proximity to former President Donald Trump last week.

Welker also highlighted a comment Loomer – a 9/11 so-called “truther” – made that implied Vice President Kamala Harris would stink up the White House if elected in November.

Loomer commented that if Harris became president, the Oval Office would “smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center and the American people will only be able to convey their feedback through a customer satisfaction survey at the end of the call that nobody will understand.”

During his interview with Welker, Vance was hesitant to discuss the topic. At one point commented he cooked a “mean” curry. A transcript of the exchange reads:

WELKER: I’ve been talking to allies of former President Trump who are frankly outraged, they’re alarmed that Donald Trump has been traveling with Laura Loomer. She is someone who says she supports White nationalism. She spreads conspiracy theories, including that the September 11 attacks are an inside job. She recently said that Kamala Harris, whose mother was Indian, if she wins in November, “the white house will smell like curry.” Senator, you are married to an Indian-American woman. What was your reaction to hearing those comments, specifically?

VANCE: Kristen, I want to go back to what you said about Haitian migrants to begin with because you didn’t get a chance to respond. Look, we don’t blame the Haitian migrants for coming to Springfield, we blame Kamala Harris for opening the American southern border and inviting 20,000 people to get dropped in a small Ohio town. You asked about Laura Loomer. Look, Laura Loomer is not affiliated with the Trump campaign. She said something about curry in the White House that I first read about this morning, actually, because I knew you would ask me about it. Look, Kristen, I make a mean chicken curry. I don’t think it’s insulting for anybody to talk about the dietary preferences and what they want to do in the White House.

I think what Laura Loomer said is not what we should be focused on and we should be focused on the policies and issues. So, yeah, do I agree about what Laura Loomer said about Kamala Harris? No, I don’t. I also don’t think this is actually an issue of national import. Is Laura Loomer running for president? No. Kamala Harris is running for president and whether you’re eating curry at your dinner table or fried chicken, things have gotten more expensive thanks to her policies. Let’s talk about the person running for the president of the United States, not a social media personality who supports Donald Trump.

WELKER: Senator, were you and your wife offended, and do you disavow those comments that even Trump allies say are blatantly racist?

VANCE: Kristen, I just told you I don’t like those comments and I think we ought to focus on Kamala Harris’s policy failures. I also don’t look at the internet for every single thing to get offended by. I’m running for vice president because I think Kamala Harris has been a disaster and we have to undo her policies. That’s what we should be focused on and by the way, when I say we, I mean the American media. Kamala Harris opened the border. she made food unaffordable. We should talk about her failure as a leader and not a social media personality who supports Donald Trump.

Watch above via NBC News.