Officials close to Pence insist that he was unaware of Trump’s efforts to press Zelensky for damaging information about Biden and his son, who had served on the board of an obscure Ukrainian gas company, when his father was overseeing U.S. policy on Ukraine.
Pence’s activities occurred amid several indications of the president’s hidden agenda. Among them were the abrupt removal of the U.S. ambassador to Kiev; the visible efforts by the president’s lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, to insert himself in the U.S.-Ukraine relationship; as well as alarms being raised inside the White House even before the emergence of an extraordinary whistleblower complaint about Trump’s conduct.
Perhaps most significantly, one of Pence’s top advisers was on the July 25 call and the vice president should have had access to the transcript within hours, officials said. (snip)
Officials close to Pence contend that he traveled to Warsaw for a meeting with Zelensky on Sept. 1 probably without having read — or at least fully registered — the transcript of Trump’s July 25 call with the leader of Ukraine.
White House officials said that Pence probably would have received the detailed notes of the president’s call in his briefing book on July 26. The five-page document also should have been part of the briefing materials he took with him to Warsaw to prepare for the meeting, according to the officials, who, like others interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
But officials said Pence and his staff weren’t aware that the call had provoked alarm inside the White House — even though his national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, had been monitoring it. It’s also not clear whether Pence failed to read the White House account of the call in his briefing book or read it and found it unremarkable.
Pence often seems to be the last to be aware of major problems or scandals — a phenomenon that depicts the vice president as out of the loop at times. But it also helps insulate him from controversy within the White House.
Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.
It's Hammer time... (sound up!)@TrueFactsStated @maddogpac #maddogPAC pic.twitter.com/j19uqxqmxU
— Tarquin (@Tarquin_Helmet) October 3, 2019
From the South Lawn of the White House, President Trump tells reporters that China should launch an investigation into the Bidens.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 3, 2019
Here's the video: Trump is now openly urging the leaders of Ukraine and China to investigate one of his political rivals.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 3, 2019
Via CSPAN pic.twitter.com/xKOSRosyck
Quote by Raine:It's Hammer time... (sound up!)@TrueFactsStated @maddogpac #maddogPAC pic.twitter.com/j19uqxqmxU
— Tarquin (@Tarquin_Helmet) October 3, 2019
3/ Campaign finance crimes also require a thing of value be involved. But as FEC Chair @EllenLWeintraub recently said, you don’t have to be able to assign a dollar amount. But, in the case of Ukraine, Trump did this. The help he sought was worth $400mil in US aid. That’s a felony
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) October 3, 2019
Quote by livingonli:
It might be ironic if when the smoke clears, Pelosi ends up in the presidency.
Moments ago, Vice President Mike Pence defended President Trump pressing Ukraine's Zelensky to investigate the Bidens. "The American people have a right to know if the vice president of the United States, or his family, profited from his position."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 3, 2019
Quote by Raine:
Pence is ALL IN.
(and I still think he will resign.)Moments ago, Vice President Mike Pence defended President Trump pressing Ukraine's Zelensky to investigate the Bidens. "The American people have a right to know if the vice president of the United States, or his family, profited from his position."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 3, 2019
Mike Pence is completely and utterly shameless pic.twitter.com/N4JfsWbZAs
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 3, 2019