While President Trump is known for his Twitter tirades and belligerent bluster, the President’s No. 2 has managed to rise above the fray, in part by claiming … he’s clueless.
After White House staff secretary Rob Porter stepped down on Wednesday following accusations of domestic abuse from two of his ex-wives, Vice President Pence woke up in South Korea on Thursday and claimed he had only just heard the news.
This isn’t the first time Pence said he found out about the goings-on of the Trump administration through news reports. Here’s a look back on key moments Pence has pleaded ignorance.
Michael Flynn
On Dec. 29, 2016, President Barack Obama announced he was imposing sanctions on Russia in response to the Kremlin’s interference in the U.S. presidential elections.
Hours later, Michael Flynn spoke to Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, asking that Russia hold off on escalating the situation.
But Flynn misled Pence about the call, and the vice president went on CBS and said, “They did not discuss anything having to do with the United States’ decision to expel diplomats or impose a censure against Russia.”
When Flynn resigned, just 24 days after he was sworn in as Trump’s national security adviser, he said he briefed Pence with “incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador.”
While Acting Attorney General Sally Yates tried to warn the White House about the nature of Flynn’s call on Jan. 26, Pence didn’t find out until two weeks later, his press secretary Mark Lotter said.
Flynn also told Trump’s transition team on Jan. 4 that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign, according to a New York Times report.
And yet Pence, who led Trump’s transition, appeared on Fox News on March 9 and said he learned about Flynn’s lobbying when the news broke that day.
Donald Trump Jr.
In July 2017, Donald Trump Jr. released emails showing he accepted a meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016 after he was promised dirt on his father’s campaign rival, Hillary Clinton.
Pence’s press secretary issued a statement distancing the veep from the shocking revelation.
“He was not aware of the meeting. He is also not focused on stories about the campaign — especially those pertaining to the time before he joined the campaign,” Lotter wrote.
Four months later, Trump Jr. revealed he exchanged direct messages with WikiLeaks during the presidential campaign.
Trump Jr. reportedly alerted Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Brad Parscale and Jared Kushner about the contact with WikiLeaks, according to the Atlantic.
But Pence once again denied any knowledge of the contact, and a spokesperson issued a statement that read, “The Vice President was never aware of anyone associated with the campaign being in contact with WikiLeaks.”
“He first learned of this news from a published report earlier tonight,” the statement read.
Rob Porter
White House staff secretary Rob Porter stepped down after two of his ex-wives spoke out about the physical and emotional abuse they experienced at the hands of the 40-year-old.
His first wife, Colbie Holderness, shared a photo of her bruised eye after he allegedly punched her in 2005, while his second wife, Jennie Willoughby, filed a protective order against him in 2010.
Porter vehemently denied the allegations and called the claims a “smear campaign.”
Top White House counsel Don McGahn knew about the allegations for more than a year, while chief of staff John Kelly was reportedly in the know for several months, according to the Washington Post.
Pence, who is leading the U.S. delegation at the Winter Olympics in South Korea, told reporters on Thursday, “I learned as I awoke this morning of those developments, so we’ll comment on any issues affecting White House staff when we get back to Washington.”
When a reporter confronted him about seeming “a little bit out of the loop,” Pence simply said it was a “great honor” to serve as vice president.
“We’ll leave those White House staffing matters for when we get back to Washington,” he added.
