‘The Time That He Resigned Was When I First Became Aware of the Allegations’ – Great Response, but That Wasn’t the Question
Remember when Jeff Sessions was asked by now-former Senator Al Franken what he will do, as Attorneys General “if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government,” and Sessions responded that he never, ever had talked to any Russians?
OK, nice pre-crafted answer, but that wasn’t the question.
The same thing just happened.
NBC News’ Lester Holt in an interview with Vice President Mike Pence Friday noted many people are upset about how White House chief of staff John Kelly has handled the Rob Porter scandal – Porter being the now former staff secretary who is accused of beating his two former wives.
Holt didn’t ask Pence what he knew and when he knew it. Holt didn’t ask Pence to weigh in on the Rob Porter scandal itself.
Here’s what Holt did ask Pence:
“There are questions about chief of staff Kelly. What he knew about these accusations that Porter had been abusive to his ex-wives. Â Are you concerned that he may have had this knowledge and didn’t act?
If you were Mike Pence, what would you say?
Maybe, “John Kelly has been a great chief of staff for this White House. I can’t speak to what he may have or may not have known about this terrible situation – and absolutely, domestic violence is abhorrent – but I’m going to make sure this never happens again”?
Right?
You certainly would not say, “Well, I was appalled when I learned of the allegations against Rob Porter,” squirming just enough to convey you were appalled. “The time that he resigned was when I first became aware of the allegations of domestic abuse. There is no tolerance in this White House, no place in America for domestic abuse. That being said, I think the White House has acknowledged that they could have handled it better. And Lester, when I return to Washington, D.C., I’m going to look into the matter. And I’ll share my counsel with the president directly.”
Would you?
Because that wasn’t the question.
The question was about John Kelly, not about Mike Pence.
And yet here we are again, just like when Pence – as head of the Trump transition team – was questioned about Mike Flynn, and he insisted the he had no prior knowledge of Flynn’s actions and associations, and that Flynn lied to him.
Mike Pence’s game is up.
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