ProPublica: “Decisions about U.S. aid are often no longer being governed by career professionals applying a rigorous review of applicants and their capabilities. Over the last two years, political pressure, particularly from the office of Vice President Mike Pence, had seeped into aid deliberations and convinced key decision-makers that unless they fell in line, their jobs could be at stake.”
Pence Not Willing to Defend Trump on Quid Pro Quo
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House Democrats Request Documents from Pence
Pence Agrees Biden Should Be Investigated
Vice President Mike Pence offered a full-throated defense of President Trump’s call for an investigation into Joe Biden and his son’s dealings with Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Said Pence: “My predecessor had a son who was paid $50,000 a month to be on a Ukrainian board at the time that Vice President Biden was leading the Obama administration’s efforts in Ukraine, I think that is worth looking into.”
Pence also took aim at Democrats generally for what he termed as “endless investigations” of Trump.
Pence Advised Against Releasing Transcript of Ukraine Call
“Mike Pence privately counseled President Trump against releasing the rough transcript of the president’s call with his Ukrainian counterpart, but eventually sided with others in the White House arguing in favor of its release,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The vice president raised concerns about the precedent the release would set, but ultimately fell in line behind Trump, who felt he had no choice but to release it. Trump told aides he felt the messaging had gotten away from the White House and that releasing the document was his only option in the battle for public opinion.”
Trump Denies Suggesting Pence Stay at His Resort
President Trump on Wednesday denied any involvement in Vice President Mike Pence’s decision to stay at the president’s property in Doonbeg, Ireland, The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “I had no involvement, other than it’s a great place I heard he was going there, but it wasn’t my idea for Mike to go there. Mike went there because his family’s there. That’s my understanding of it.”
Ivanka Trump Has Discussed Replacing Pence
Axios reporter Jonathan Swan told MSNBC that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have discussed the possibility of replacing Vice President Mike Pence with Nikki Haley on the 2020 Republican ticket.
Said Swan: “Certainly, there have been a number of people telling people in the White House, including the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump, that Nikki Haley would be a politically smart choice to replace Pence. So this is partly why a lot of these rumors have been circulating.”
Haley-Pence Rivalry Heats Up
“When top Republicans convened at the St. Regis resort in Aspen, Colo. last month for an exclusive donor retreat, several attendees said there was palpable tension in the room as the gathering’s two headliners prepared to speak: Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley,” Politico reports.
“The assembled group of governors, high-dollar donors, and operatives were well aware that the two have big ambitions; to some it seemed as if Pence and Haley, who spoke on back-to-back days, were vying for their attention. Some in the audience found themselves parsing and comparing the two speeches and buzzed they were getting a sneak preview of a 2024 Republican primary. Others recalled something peculiar: Neither Pence nor Haley acknowledged each other in their presentations, even though they gave shout-outs to others attending the retreat.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Spend more time on your knees than on the Internet.”
— Vice president Mike Pence, quoted by the Washington Times, on how he deals with political criticism.
Mike Pence Doesn’t Own a Home
Vice President Mike Pence “doesn’t appear to own a home and hasn’t saved much for retirement, yet he’s a millionaire thanks to his government pensions. A career politician with little notable experience in the private sector, Pence is entitled to at least $85,000 per year for the rest of his life,” Forbes reports.
Why Pence Spiked a Trump Judge
Vice President Mike Pence vetoed the Donald Trump’s pick for a federal judge nominee because he feared the nomination would bring up events from the past that could damage his reputation, Politico reports.
“The clash provides a rare glimpse into the vice president’s political calculations and ambitions, which he has been excruciatingly careful to conceal since signing on to the Trump ticket in the summer of 2016.”
Trump Confirms He Wants Pence on Ticket Again
In an interview on Meet the Press, President Trump “made clear that he wants his 2016 running mate, Vice President Mike Pence, to reprise his role during the 2020 campaign.”
“And while the president sometimes makes references to staying in office for more than two terms, he said those comments are only a ‘joke.'”
Pence Promises He’ll Have More to Say About Buttigieg
Vice President Mike Pence “wagged his finger at Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg in a Fox News interview that aired Monday, but also suggested he his biting his tongue – for now,” USA Today reports.
Said Pence: “If he wins their party’s nomination, we’ll have a lot more to say about him.”
What Does Mike Pence Want?
The Guardian: “To supporters, Pence is a loyal lieutenant smoothing Trump’s rough edges while steering America right. To critics he is a hypocrite and sycophant, the Uriah Heep of Washington.”
“What’s his game? Why does a devout Christian agree to be Trump’s running mate and continue to be his apologist in chief? It might be pure craving for power. Pence has harboured ambitions of becoming president ‘since he was 16 and I’m sure it has not varied’, his biographer, Michael D’Antonio, said by phone this week.”
Pence Won’t Release Tax Returns Either
Vice President Mike Pence has filed three tax returns since taking office, but he hasn’t publicly released any of them, the Wall Street Journal reports.
12% of Americans Have Never Heard of Mike Pence
A CNN poll that finds that 12 percent of Americans have “never heard” of Vice President Mike Pence.
“As Newsweek notes, that equates to over 30 million adults who don’t recognize Pence’s name… The poll seems to affirm just how many Americans have fully opted out of political life, and it’s possible that the number could still fall short of determining just how many Americans don’t know their veep.”
Pence Responds to Buttigieg Criticism
“Days after South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg directly attacked Mike Pence for his stance on LGBT issues, the Republican vice president denounced the comments,” Politico reports.
Said Pence: “He’s said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally. And he knows better. He knows me.”
Over the weekend, Buttigieg said: “If me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade. And that’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand. That if you got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me — your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.”
Pence Takes GOP Punches for Trump
“In recent months, Pence has repeatedly found himself an even-tempered target for prominent Republicans needing to vent about Trump’s unorthodox style,” Politico reports.
Said Sen. John Thune (R-SD): “When he comes up here, unfortunately for him, he gets to be kind of the person that people take out some of their frustrations out on. But that’s a part of the job.”
“That has become more and more true of late. In multiple encounters with Republicans on Capitol Hill, on issues ranging from Syria to the government shutdown, Pence has swallowed his personal views, which have historically been far more in line with the GOP establishment than are Trump’s.”
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