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Former Vice President Mike Penceramped up his criticism of fellow Republicans at a GOP donor summit Friday night, trying to paint his would-be rivals as straying from party principles as he inches closer to an expected presidential run.

Speaking at a Republican National Committee donor summit in Nashville, Pence planned to criticize former President Donald Trump and others who have questioned the war in Ukraine and oppose entitlement reform and further curbs on abortion rights. He argued the party will be better served by candidates who espouse more traditional GOP views, according to excerpts shared by aides ahead of his remarks.

Its becoming clearer every day that the upcoming Republican primaries will not just be a contest of candidates but a conflict of visions, Pence was expected to tell donors. One vision grounded in traditional Republican principles, and another vision driven by the promise of winning at the expense of our highest ideals.

He said the partys route to victory rests on a well-worn path it has traveled for the better part of half a century, including support for strong national defense, limited government and traditional social values.

We will win if we run boldly as Republicans, he was expected to add. We will lose if we run away from that proven American agenda.

Pence is widely expected to launch a campaign for the White House in the coming weeks that will put him in direct competition with his former boss, who is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

Pence, who was a loyal lieutenant to Trump in the White House, has spent the years since he left office distancing himself from the former president. That has included criticizing Trumps actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trumps supporters violently stormed the Capitol building as Pence was presiding over the certification of President Joe Bidens win. Trump was furious with Pence for refusing to go along with his unconstitutional scheme to overturn the results, and the two have been at odds ever since.

In his speech at the retreat, Pence continued to tacitly criticize Trump as well as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another likely candidate, saying the party must resist the politics of personality and the lure of populism unmoored to timeless conservative values.

If 2022 taught us anything, its that candidates that were focused on the challenges facing American families did well. But candidates focused on the past, on litigating the last election, did not do well, he was expected to add. Elections are always about the future. To win in 2024, the Republican Party must be the party of the future.

The comments came hours afterboth men spoke at the National Rifle Associations annual conventionin Pences home state of Indiana, where Pence was greeted with a smattering of boos from the crowd. It was a reflection of lingering animosity from Trumps loyal base, which continues to harbor resentments over Pences handling of the 2020 election.

Trump, who will address the donor summit in Nashville Saturday, took a dig at Pence from the NRA stage, telling the crowd he hoped theyd given the former vice president a warm introduction. Still, he called Pence a nice and good man.

Pence, in his remarks, was expected to continued to criticize those in his party who have questioned U.S. support for Ukraine after Russias invasion. Joe Biden wants to cut defense spending. But for some reason, so do some prominent Republicans, he was expected to say.

DeSantis last monthwalked back his characterizationof the war as a territorial dispute following criticism from a number of fellow Republicans who expressed concern about the potential 2024 presidential candidates dismissive description of the conflict.

Pence was also expected to call out Trump for opposing reforms to Social Security and Medicare, such as increasing the age of qualification once a standard GOP talking point.

Sadly, our former president has echoed Bidens pledge not to touch Social Security. I think we owe my three granddaughters better, he was planning to say.

He was also expected to criticize those in his party who are shying away from further restrictions on abortion rights following a series of GOP losses.

On the heels of the biggest pro-life victory in history, too many Republicans want to run away from the cause that has animated our party for half a century, he was going to say, according to the excerpts.

Trump haswarned that the partyrisks fallout from tight abortion restrictions, while DeSantis late Thursdaysigned a 6-week ban into law.

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Pence: Candidates must run 'as Republicans' to win in 2024 - Spectrum News

Mike Pence, Ted Cruz and Ron DeSantis dressed in drag by AI.@RuPublicans/Midjourney, screengrabs from @RuPublicans

The "RuPublicans" Instagram account posts AI-generated pictures of GOP lawmakers in full drag.

The images range from Mike Pence in sparkly pink boots to Ron DeSantis in a big ball gown.

The duo behind the account told Insider they want to hit back at the "GOP's anti-drag rhetoric."

You've seen AI-generated art of the Pope in Balenciaga. Now get ready for Former Vice President Mike Pence, Gov. Ron DeSantis, and other GOP figures in full drag.

The images are the work of an Instagram account called "RuPublicans,"which uses AI to dress Republican lawmakers in drag complete with frills, feathers, jewels, and wigs. The account's name is a play on Republicans andRuPaul, a famous drag queen and television personality.

The AI images featureDeSantis in a bejeweled blue gown that would put Cinderella to shame and Pencewearing nothing but a bright pink blazer and glittery boots, paired with a fluffy feather boa.

Also seen on the account was Sen. Ted Cruzin pink feathers and bold winged eyelinerand Sen. Josh Hawleydecked out in a slinky golden dress,to name a few.

The captions are colorful, too.

"Cruzella Deville - Serving homophobic realness, she struts her stuff in fur coats lined with family values and defends every fetus and every gun, every day, heeeennnyyyy," read the account's caption on Cruz.

And on DeSantis, the caption read: "Rhonda Santy - Category is: Book Banning Princess Eleganza. She's on a mission to turn that Magic Kingdom into a Tragic Kingdom and isn't afraid to give Mickey the finger(s)."

Also featured in the AI art were other GOP figures like Sen. Lindsey Graham,pictured riding a fancy horse,and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,in all-pink drag regalia.

The brains behind the account, married couple Craig, 37, and Stephen, 39, said the "GOP's anti-drag rhetoric and actions" inspired them to find a way to hit back.

"Drag artists have brought us joy and laughter, helped heal old wounds, and given us the permission to love ourselves," the couple told Insider in an email. Craig works in the education industry, while Stephen is a creative director in marketing and technology. They did not provide Insider with their last names for privacy reasons.

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"For the past two weeks, we have been creating and posting AI-generated art and captions that are just as over the top and ridiculous as the false narratives around drag," they said.

The duo said they used the AI image generator Midjourney to create the images.

"We don't always get what we want, but sometimes the AI generator gives us something we couldn't have imagined that blows us away, and we run with it," the couple said.

Their first post on "RuPublicans" was uploaded on March 30. Within two weeks, they have amassed a following of more than 139,000 people, at press time.

Several GOP lawmakers that the "RuPublicans" account called out have, in the past, pushed anti-trans messages.

In Florida, DeSantis istargeting drag queens, framing his crackdown on drag shows asa crusade to protect children.

Cruz has been vocal about his distaste for trans people. In 2021, Cruz introduced a bill thatblocked trans women from competing in women's sports.

In February,Pence railed against a school district's attempt to create safe spaces for students in the process of transitioning.

And at a Senate hearing on abortion rights in July,Hawley claimed that men cannot get pregnant, sparking a heated argument with a law professor who called his line of questioning transphobic.

Anti-trans laws are also being enacted nationwide. Oklahoma banned insurance coveragefor transgender care in February, and theSouth Carolina Senate passed a billto ban gender-affirming medical care for minors in March.

Craig and Stephen said the content they create is "pure fantasy," but "the fear the GOP is spreading and the legislation that they're trying to pass is the reality for so many people."

"Our hope is these images spark conversation and capture the hypocrisy of the GOP," they told Insider. "If it takes wigs, glitter, and fashion to do it, we're here for it."

Representatives of Pence, DeSantis, Graham, Cruz, Hawley, and McConnell did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

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Mike Pence in pink boots, Ron DeSantis in a big ball gown. Here's how the 'RuPublicans' Instagram account uses AI art to call out GOP lawmakers by...

Is anyone surprised that former President Trump is attempting to silence his Vice President Mike Pence, seeking court action to block his testimony regarding Trumps efforts to overturn the legitimate result of the 2020 presidential election?

Trump does not seem to be an intelligent man, but he is smart enough to know that any testimony provided by the ever-loyal Pence could be devastating to him and land him squarely in even greater legal jeopardy than he currently faces.

Repugnant though his ultra-conservative ideology is, Pence has demonstrated himself to be an honest man and one who respects the rule of law and the Constitution. He would be expected to offer the whole truth and unlike the former president, to eschew any assertion of Fifth Amendment privilege.

Trump must not be permitted to run out the clock, to again stymie the effort to bring him to justice. I have to believe that the courts will see through his efforts to hold self-interest supreme and will reject this latest ploy.

Oren Spiegler

Peters

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Letter to the editor: Pence's testimony potentially devastating for Trump - TribLIVE

It is unfathomable how Ms. Debrow can offer competent and adequate counsel to her client who has been accused of further crimes, Willis argues in the filing.

Its the first whisper from Willis about the probe since January, when she described charging decisions in the investigation as imminent. Her comments at the time followed the conclusion of a special grand jurys investigation into Trump and his bid to reverse the election results. While the special grand jury recommended criminal charges against an untold number of people whose identities remain secret, the panel had no power to issue the charges itself. Instead, Willis must present evidence to a traditional grand jury in order to issue formal charges, which may or may not align with the special grand jurys recommendations.

Willis special grand jury probe stretched for nearly a year as she hauled in a slew of figures in Trumps inner circle, suggesting that her probe went beyond the immediate allegations of potential Georgia election law violations that Trump may have committed. She fought some of those witnesses from Sen. Lindsey Graham to former chief of staff Mark Meadows to former national security adviser Mike Flynn to Rudy Giuliani in state and federal courts to secure their testimony. Willis is particularly interested in Trumps Jan. 2, 2021 phone call in which he urged Georgias Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find just enough votes to reverse the outcome of the election.

Willis concerns about the legal representation of the false electors is not new. She raised an alarm in November that some of them might have different degrees of legal exposure and could be called on to testify against each other or otherwise have interests that would require separate representation. At the time, the judge overseeing the matter, Robert McBurney, permitted 10 of the electors to remain represented by a single attorney. But he agreed to require another, Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer, to get separate representation because his degree of criminal exposure appeared to be greater than the others.

The false electors were a key aspect of Trumps bid to remain in power, despite losing the 2020 election. By convening a set of pro-Trump electors in several states Trump lost, his allies pointed to the competing slates of electors to argue that Congress or then-Vice President Mike Pence should pick between them on January 6, 2021, when lawmakers met to count electoral votes and finalize the results of the election. The challenges lodged by Trumps congressional allies failed, and Pence ultimately rejected Trumps repeated insistence that he had the single-handed authority to halt the certification himself, ending Trumps last-ditch bid to stay in power.

Many of the false Republican electors were party activists or chairs in those states, and they helped convene the Republican electors in December, when Bidens certified electors also met to formalize his victory in those states. The false electors in at least five of the Biden-won states including Georgia signed certificates claiming that they were the legitimate presidential electors from those states. While many of the false electors have claimed they werent told that they were going to become components in Trumps Jan. 6 plans only that their actions were necessary to preserve legal challenges others were more intimately involved with figures in Trumps inner circle.

Many of them have already been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors probing Trumps election gambit as well, and dozens of them were subpoenaed by and testified to the Jan. 6 select committee.

Trump has already been indicted in New York for alleged crimes related to hush money payments and covering up an affair just before the 2016 election. But the Fulton County and federal probe may present more acute legal threats in the long run as prosecutors edge closer to final charging decisions.

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Georgia prosecutor probing Trump reveals new details of active ... - POLITICO

Donald Trump announces he will pull out of the Arms Trade Treaty in Indianapolis

U.S. President Donald Trump announces he will pull out of the Arms Trade Treaty while speaking at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Indianapolis, April 26, 2019.

Jenna Watson, jenna.watson@indystar.com

Former President Donald Trump is coming to Indianapolis Friday for the National Rifle Assocation's annual convention, where he'll share stage time with his former vice president, former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, along with other presidential hopefuls and key figures in Indiana politics.

Trump and Pence shared the spotlight at the last NRA convention held in Indianapolis in 2019. This is the city's third time hosting, as part of contracts signed in 2015. The event, which includes panels and exhibitions, is happening April 14-16 at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis.

Here's what's going on:

The key event of the weekend is the Leadership Forum on Friday afternoon, where Trump is set to speak along with the nation's "top Second Amendment leaders," the NRA says. As of Tuesday, there are 10 speakers appearing in person, and three, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, appearing via pre-recorded video messages.

The list of confirmed in-person speakers include:

These figures are contributing video messages:

Related: NRA convention to draw 70K to Indy this weekend. But will it be back?

The Leadership Forum, where Trump and Pence are speaking, is 2-4 p.m. Friday at the convention center's Hall A. Doors open at noon.

Hall A is at the northwest corner of the convention center, at West and Maryland streets.

Only NRA members can attend the panel. Members can begin lining up as soon as 11 a.m.

There are no tickets attendance is first-come, first-served.

There is no cost to attend.

The closest parking garage is on the northeast corner of Maryland and West streets, directly north of Hall A. There's a skywalk that connects that garage with the convention center.

But in the likely event that the garage is full given the 70,000 or so people expected to come to the convention , booking almost every hotel room in Marion County there are a number of parking garages within a few blocks of the convention center that one can reach through a network of indoor skywalks, including the Circle Centre Mall garage.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter@kayla_dwyer17.

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Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis to speak at NRA convention: What to know - IndyStar