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Four business owners in Columbus, Indiana, the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence, share their thoughts on Pence's legacy in the White House. Indianapolis Star

It was a grave, grave disappointment to hear former Vice-President Mike Pence's recent speech in South Carolina.

Pence praised Trump and his presidencybut refused to disavow or even mention the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6. That assault was carried out in Trump's name with the express purpose of overturning the result of the 2020 presidential election. Pence was also a main target of that assault because he refused to overturn the certification of the vote on that day.

Even though Pence had echoed Trump's big election lie from November until early January, he knew that Biden's win by more than 7 million votes had been legally verified several times.

And on Jan. 6, Pence courageously upheld the Constitution.

He and his family had to hide during the assault, while protesters yelled "Hang Mike Pence."

But now, for the sake of retaining the support of Trump's base, Pence has turned his back on the truth. In spite of being targeted on Jan. 6, Pence is willing to sweep an act of sedition under the rug. This is truly shocking. Democracy depends upon the truth.

And there is no greater threat to democracy in America than the

conspiracy theory known as The Big Lie. Pence knows that, and yet he is more than willing to brush The Big Lie and Jan. 6 aside in favor of his ambitions.

Zoe Sitzmann

Zionsville

Excellent articleon the umpire shortage.

When I was 16 (1966), I worked at a car dealership in the parts department. One of the mechanics was in his 60s and knew all about auto engines going back to the Model T. When a younger mechanic asked him how to fix an issue with an engine, he asked the younger mechanic if he wanted a remedy or if he wanted a cure. A remedy is a Band-Aid, while a cure fixes the problem permanently.

Using this analogy, I think a cure is needed, not a remedy.

The IHSAA and also the governing bodies of local non-IHSAA sports need to implement the following:

Once the fans in the stands hear this enough times, it will sink in. Once an unruly fan gets ejected, the taunting will stop.

Now it's up to the sports writers at IndyStar to do their part, which is start beating the drum with the IHSAA to implement the above. You know who the folks who make the decisions are, so the ball is in your court.

Once the IHSAA agrees to implementing this set of rules, the media statewide needs to publish articles before each sport season about these road rules.

This will also send the message to the umpires/referees that they are appreciated, and more will join the ranks.

Jan Bednarz

Indianapolis

Kidney Disease is a public health crisis that affects more than 37 million adults in the U.S. and results in greater risk of severe COVID-19 complications.

As a PhD candidate at Notre Dame studying kidney disease, reading the April 12 article on Gov. Eric Holcombs 2021 legislative agenda made me think about how much we spend treating kidney disease versus how little we spend to prevent it. Medicare spends $130 billion, 24% of the budget, on kidney disease patients. Kidney disease affects 11% of adults in the U.S., yet kidney-related research represents less than 0.2% of research at the National Institutes of Health. As NIH funding rose 37% (2015-2020), kidney research funding increased only 19%.

The CDCs Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative is similarly underfunded at $2.5 million. Investment in cancer research increased tenfold, which contributed to a 400% decline in cancer deaths. However, death and disability of kidney patients increased by 65%.

It is imperative that senators Young and Braun prioritize the 37 million Americans with kidney disease and treat these disparities as the public health crisis it is.

Investing in research and early detection at NIH and CDC will relieve the financial burden kidney disease places on Medicareand, more importantly, save lives.

Hannah Wesselman

Granger

The International Affairs Budget makes up 1% of the U.S. federal budget but impacts all aspects of life in America. These funds are imperative for helping the world's poor, and as global citizens, we must back initiatives that save millions of lives domestically and abroad.

As poverty and malnutrition rates drop, emerging markets are created for U.S. companies to reach and trade. Today, 45% of all U.S. exports now go to developing countries. U.S. job creation and national security are all linked to the plight of the world's poor.

Work remains, especially as 131 million people globally are at risk of starvation due to the impacts of COVID-19. Now more than ever, it is vital to prioritize international funding and provide relief to the world's most vulnerable communities.

Representatives shouldtake action to further global poverty reduction efforts and protect vulnerable members of populations other than our own. When we take care of each other, we all benefit.

Mary Molander

Indianapolis

Over a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and schools in our state had to instantly pivot from in-person to virtual learning. Thousands of children across Indiana were in danger of losing access to the nutrition they rely on from school meals. But Hoosier school nutrition staff immediately stepped up, working day and night to figure out new systems of getting meals to students through grab-n-go pick-ups, meal drop-offs and more.

Because of the crisis, even more families in our community are facing financial strain. In 2021, an alarming 1 in 6 kids could face hunger because of the pandemic. Yet throughout, school nutrition staff have been there, working tirelessly through the summer, through weekends, through holidays, to make sure kids in our state get the nutrition they need.

On School Lunch Hero Day and every day, thank you to all the school nutrition staff across Indiana. You help guarantee kids are healthy and ready to learn, and provide a constant in these challenging times. Your love and dedication for what you do and those you serve are noteworthy and extraordinary. Our gratitude cannot be overstated!

Help No Kid Hungry Indiana celebrate Hoosier Hunger Heroes by sharing the stories that impact your family and community on social media using #ThankAHungerHero and on Facebook (@NoKidHungryIndiana).

Tarrah Westercamp

Greenwood

I was very disappointed to read all the elected officials' Republican responses to President Biden's address to Congress Thursday night. Their published partisan remarks only serve to push the parties farther and farther apart.Being interviewed was their chance to take the high road and prove they are determined to govern the United States of America, not to further partisanship or their own careers.

The only way we will get beyond the Republican-Democrat stalemate in this country is for members of one party to begin publishing their points of agreement with the opposite party. And those of the other party to do likewise.That would be a mark of statesmanship in the leaders.Such statesmanship seems to be lacking. Our Indiana senators and representatives seemed to find no points of agreement with Biden's plans.Such pettiness and partisanship!Americans are weary of this! Democracy is being challenged and tested. We need real leaders who are willing to put the democracy first.

Are there not two elected officials who will take the same platform and declare to the world their willingness to work together?Who will proclaim that democracy is worth saving and thus requires tolerance and compromise?Where are the leaders who will call everyone who wants to live in this democracy to join them?

Let us see the beginning of bipartisanship in our leaders for the sake of the common good of all Americans!

Mary Heins

Indianapolis

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Letters: Pence turns his back on the truth to retain the support of Trump's base - IndyStar

COLUMBIA, S.C. As Mike Pence discussed his tenure as vice president with about 500 religious Republicans, some listeners couldn't help but wonder if they were seeing a preview of coming attractions.

I said to my husband, Did you think this was a trial run for a campaign speech? said Beth Atwater, an attorney from Lexington, South Carolina, who attended Pence's speech before the Palmetto Family Council last week.

Republicans across the country are pondering Pence's chances of becoming president thanks in part to the man who remains at the heart of GOP politics and made Pence vice president: Donald Trump.

Trump and some allies criticize Pence for refusing Trump's demands that he help overturn his election loss of Joe Biden. The insurrection by pro-Trump rioters Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol put Pence's life in danger.

Republicans who want the party to move on from Trump see the former vice president as part of the problem a loyalist who too often enabled the president.

Pence hasn't said he's running for president, but he raised eyebrows with his reemergence in public in South Carolina, home of a key GOP primary in 2024. He has a lineup of events in the coming months that looks like an attempt to appeal to Trump voters without alienating their leader.

Building a base for a presidential run is always challenging, Republicans said, but Pence's predicament is unique.

"I just don't see the path," said Denver Riggleman, a former GOP congressman from Virginia and an outspoken critic of Trump.

Making the moves

Pence is one of several Republicans making the kind of moves one does when exploring a presidential run.

The former vice president has created a political committee, Advancing American Freedom, to promote and defend the policies of the Trump-Pence administration. It has run web ads featuring Pence on issues such as border security.

Young America's Foundation, a conservative group, announced that Pence will give the keynote address at its National Conservative Student Conference in August in Houston. Pence plans to campaign for Republican candidates in the 2022 congressional races.

The former vice president is writing an autobiography scheduled to be published in 2023, a year before the presidential election.

In deciding where to make his first first speech since leaving office, Pence picked South Carolina home of the first-in-the-South primary that has been pivotal in Republican nomination battles.

Friday, Pence will attend an early cattle call of eight potential Republican candidates not named Trump. Texas Republicans organized a private meeting of donors to hear from Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and Rick Scott.

Sarah Longwell, a GOP strategist who ran a group called Republican Voters Against Trump in 2020, said Pence's challenges in a 2024 race are many.

"No. 1, Trump is going to attack him as insufficiently loyal," she said, and Trump voters who believe the election was stolen will blame Pence.

Republicans who want to shed Trump see Pence as complicit in the administration's actions, including the drawn-out protests of the election.

Longwell said, "People who love Trump don't like him, and people who hate Trump don't like him."

'A Christian, a Conservative, a Republican in that order'

During his half-hour speech in a downtown Columbia ballroom last week, Pence said that serving alongside Trump was "the greatest honor of my life," though he didn't mention the ex-president's name that much. He spoke more about the administration's record and criticized the Biden administration over immigration, spending, taxes, abortion and religious freedom.

In his opening, Pence recited a standard self-description: "I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order."

Though vice presidents often find it hard to emerge from the shadow of the presidents they served, the job has become a stepping stone toward the Oval Office. Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush and Joe Biden were elected to the presidency as former vice presidents. Hubert Humphrey (1968), Walter Mondale (1984) and Al Gore (2000) won the Democratic nominations but fell short in the general elections.

None of those former veeps faced the kind of obstacle within their own party that Pence has in Trump.

Pence has to answer one question first: Will he run if Trump does? The former president said he is considering another race in 2024 but won't make an announcement until after the 2022 congressional races.

Normally, a former vice president would be in "the top spot" for the next election, but "in a Trump GOP, it is more complicated," said Mike DuHaime, former political director for the Republican National Committee.

Despite Pence's "fealty over the four years," DuHaime said, "Trump may have forever damaged his reputation with Trump supporters by calling him out during the election lie and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6."

Pence, who frequently talks about his religious faith, does have support from at least one important Republican constituency: evangelical voters such as the ones who saw him speak at the Palmetto Family Council.

Tim Miller, a former Republican political strategist who saw Pence in Columbia, said he has "a base of support with evangelicals, which is better than most have, but can he expand out of that?"

Members of Trump's "Make America Great Again" caucus may remain suspicious.

"Hard to imagine the MAGA voters are ever going to love him," Miller said.

'He did the right thing ... And it's going to cost him'

One of Pence's biggest hurdles to a potential run isn't just his association with Trump but Trump's own criticisms of him.

At a Republican donor conference last month at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said he was still "disappointed" that Pence did not move to block the counting of electoral votes from states that went for Biden.

In a statement this week attacking Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Trump said the election result would have been different "had Mike Pence referred the information on six states (only need two) back to State Legislatures."

Trump denounced his vice president at a rally Jan. 6 that preceded the insurrection at the Capitol, where some Trump supporters roamed the halls looking for Pence and calling him a traitor.

Riggleman, the former congressman from Virginia, said he has seen Trump-Pence yard signs in his district with the vice president's name painted over or otherwise vandalized.

He said he likes Pence and believes the vice president acted honorably in refusing to interfere Jan. 6 when Congress met to confirm Biden's victory. "He did the right thing for the country that day," Riggleman said. "And it's going to cost him."

One thing potentially working in Pence's favor: Few people are paying attention to the Republican presidential race.

Jenny Beth Martin, honorary chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action, said reporters and political activists are interested in the early jockeying, but most Americans are worried about things such as schools opening once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.

When the time for attention comes, she said, "the grassroots would want to know first and foremost whether Trump is going to want to run."

'A long time away'

At the Columbia Convention Center, South Carolina Republicans said they believe compatriots in their state and elsewhere places such as Iowa and New Hampshire will judge Pence on his merits. They are intrigued by how Pence might navigate the issue of Trump.

Kelly Ross, who works for a nonprofit company in Greenville, said Pence's base of voters is different from Trump's, and the election "is a long time away" in any event.

Others said the Pence-Trump dispute over Jan. 6 will mean little to Republicans in 2024.

"I think people forget things and get over them and move on to what's best for the country," said Cathy Wells, a housewife from Lexington.

In short, many said, they'll wait and see.

"It's kind of hard to tell," said Atwater, the attorney from Lexington. "You know, politics changes so quickly."

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Mike Pence looks at the 2024 presidential race but sees Donald Trump everywhere - South Bend Tribune

Location, location, location!

In a move that will spark further 2024 speculation, former Vice President Mike Pence will headline a major Republican Party dinner and fundraising event in early June inNew Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first primary in the race for the White House.

Fox News was first to report this past week that Pence will headline the Hillsborough County GOPs annual Lincoln Reagan awards dinner on June 3 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

2024 BUZZ SURROUNDING PENCE, BOTH SCOTTS, CHRISTIE, AND MORE

Days before the news broke, Pence traveledto South Carolina, the state thatvotes third in the GOP's nominating calendar and holds the first southern contest in the presidential primaries, to give his first address since the end of Donald Trump's administration on Jan. 20.

"We've got to guard our values ... by offering a positive agenda to the American people, grounded in our highest ideals,"Pence spotlighted in his speech.

He then pledged: "Over the coming months, I'll have more to say about all of that."

The former vice president also touted that he'll be spending the coming months "pushing back on the liberal agenda" of President Biden's administration, which he stressed was wrong for the country.

Never too early for cattle calls

On Friday Pence spokeat a donor appreciation gathering hosted by Karl Rove, the former President George W. Bush political adviser, longtime GOP strategistand Fox News contributor. The former vice president wasnt the only potential 2024 Republican White House hopeful attending the gathering, which was held in Austin, Texas.

Also on the list wereformer Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The event, titled the "Texas Victory Committee Donor Appreciation Conference," wasnt the only cattle call this past week.

POSSIBLE WHITE HOUSE HOPEFULS SPEAK AT PRO-LIFE SUMMIT

A half-dozen potentialpresidential contenders spoke in-person Monday and Tuesday at the Susan B. Anthony List's Pro-Life Leaders Summitin Palm Beach, Florida.

Headlining the first day of the summit, which was first reported by Fox News, was former President Trump, who has repeatedly flirted with making a 2024 presidential run. And Scott keynoted the second day of the summit. Pence addressed the gathering via video.

SBA List, whose "mission is to end abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders," has long attracted potential Republican White House hopefuls to its events. Social conservative voters have been a key part of the GOP base for decades.

The Trump tease continues

The former president keeps flirting with another White House run.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A week after telling FOXBusiness Maria Bartiromo on "Mornings with Maria"that hes "100% thinking about running again," Trump told conservative pundit Candace Owens that "it's very early. But I think people are going to be very, very happy when I make a certain announcement."

"You know, for campaign finance reasons, you really can't do it too early because it becomes a whole different thing... Otherwise I think I'd give you an answer that you'd be very happy with. So we're looking at that very, very seriously," Trump added. "All I'd say is stay tuned."

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Pence trips spark further 2024 White House race speculation - Fox News

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a hearing to examine the events of Jan. 6 chaired by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.). In a statement, the committee said this hearing will focus in particular on the Trump Administrations preparations in advance of January 6 and response to the attacks, and that it

will also consider the response of federal and local law enforcement agencies to the attack, and the need to establish a bipartisan, 9/11-style commission, so that Congress and the American people can fully understand the causes and circumstances that led to the January 6, 2021, insurrection.

The witnesses include:

The hearing is the first to include former high-ranking government officials who were directly involved in the events other than FBI Director Christopher Wray, who has already testified. The hearing comes after the chairs of seven House committees requested information from 16 agencies in late March. It also comes as a proposal from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to create a National Commission on Jan. 6 remains under consideration, though is apparently languishing.

There is a great deal that is still unknown about the events of Jan. 6, and discrepancies in key accounts that have been made public. In particular, little is known about the actions of President Donald Trump in the crucial hours between his rally at the Ellipse, where he encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol, and hours later, when he finally called on them to stand down. There are key questions about attempts to push the Justice Department to take action on false voter fraud claims. And, there are inconsistencies and questionable omissions in the Pentagons public timeline that need to be addressed.

Below are key questions Congress should ask Rosen and Miller about the events of Jan. 6 and its immediate aftermath.

For Former Acting Defense Secretary Miller:

1. In prepared remarks on Jan. 7, President Trump said, I immediately deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders.Is that true?

Background: Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows also told Sean Hannity that Trump acted quickly to deploy the National Guard on Jan. 6 and that Miller could back up that account.

2. Can you state on what occasions you or your office spoke to Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, or Meadows about the events of Jan. 6, from that day until you left office? How would you characterize those conversations?

Background: Millers chief of staff Kash Patel has said, I was talking to [White House chief of staff, Mark] Meadows, nonstop that day.

3. You apparently told a reporter that you did not try to contact Trump on Jan. 6; however, the reporter quoted another senior defense official who said, They couldnt get through. They tried to call him. Under oath now, did you or your office try to contact President Trump on Jan. 6? If so, what came of those efforts?

4. In a video interview, you said to a reporter, Would anybody have marched on the Capitol, and tried to overrun the Capitol, without the presidents speech? I think its pretty much definitive that wouldnt have happened. It seems cause-and-effect, you said. Since those statements, have you been in touch with former President Trump, or anyone directly associated with him about your remarks? What was their response?

5. In a video interview, you sought to downplay concerns about the timeframe for the response at the Capitol. You said It comes back to understanding how the military works this isnt a video game, its not Halo, its not Black Ops Call of Duty,' suggesting expectations about the speed of response were not reasonable. Since those comments, do you continue to believe that the response that day was as fast as it could have been?

6. How do you contend with D.C. Guard Commander William Walkers testimony that he had a Quick Reaction Force on standby but was specifically not given the authority to deploy it?

7. How do you contend with Major General Walkers testimony in which he said, Its a long standing process, but it can work in minutes. So for example, during the first week of June, the secretary of the Army was with me. I watched him call the Secretary of Defense [Esper] and consult with the Attorney General and respond back to me with an approval within minutes?

8. Specifically, what obstacles prevented DOD from responding more quickly to the attack on the Capitol? Were there bureaucratic steps that could be streamlined? Could individuals in the chain of command have been more responsive? Were any orders or directives issued that delayed response?

9. What explains the 36-minute gap between the time you conveyed final authorization to the Army for deployment of the National Guard and the Armys leadership informing Walker of the approval?

Background: In a Senate hearing, senior Pentagon official Robert Salesses acknowledged the failure in an exchange with Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO).

BLUNT: Hows that possible, Mr. Salessesdo you think that the decision, in the moment we were in, was made at 4:32, and the person that had to be told wasnt told for more than half an hour after the decision was made?

SALESSES: Senator, I think thatsthats an issue. There was decisions that were being made. There was communications that needed to take place. And then there was actions that had to be taken. All of that was happening at simultaneous times by different individuals. And I think that part of the challenge is that some of the delayed communications probably put some of the challenges that we had that day.

BLUNT: Well I would think so. If you have to have the communication before General Walker and the National Guard can take the action and the communication doesnt occur for over half an hour, thats a significant problem for the future if we dont figure out how the decision, the communication and the action all happen as nearly to the same time as they possibly can.

SALESSES: I agree, Senator.

10. You have been quoted as saying that Trump told you you would need 10,000 troops at the Capitol on January 6th. Why did he say this? How did you respond?

11. Who had the authority to deploy the D.C. National Guard Quick Reaction Force? Just yourself or did Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy also have the authority to do so?

12. Why did neither you nor Secretary McCarthy speak to Maj. Gen Walker that day? Was that a dereliction of leadership?

Background: Walker testified, I never talked to secretary of defense Miller and I didnt talk to the secretary of the Army.

13. Would it have been possible to remission the D.C. Guard members on traffic duty with Metropolitan Police Department to send the Guard to the Capitol when the MPD responded to urgent calls for help from U.S. Capitol Police? Did you ever receive a request for the D.C. Guard to do this?

14. On Jan. 8, during your tenure, the Department of Defense published a timeline of events leading up to and including January 6, which was later referred to by the Department of Defense in congressional testimony. Why did the Department omit significant entries in the Timeline including:

More: The DoD timeline noted one call between Walker and Sund on Jan. 6 at 1:49 p.m., but the AP reported that Sund frantically called Walker again and asked for at least 200 guard members and to send more if they are available. Why was this information left off the publicly released timeline?

15. On January 8, during your tenure, the Department of Defense published a timeline of events leading up to and including January 6, which was later referred to by the Department of Defense in written congressional testimony. The timeline states that Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy was on a significant conference call at 2:22 p.m. on Jan. 6. But McCarthy subsequently told the Washington Post he was not on the call. In his testimony under oath, D.C. National Guard Commander Walker told the Senate, We dialed in trying to get the Secretary of the Army on the call but he wasnt available.

Is the DoD timeline accurate? Was there a subsequent conversation in which McCarthy did not participate?

16. Why did the Army initially falsely deny that Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn participated in the 2:22pm call with D.C. leadership and U.S. Capitol Police? Was it a bungled approach to fears of political fallout should his participation become public?

Background: The brother of Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn was on the call, although his participation in this key meeting was initially strongly and repeatedly denied by the Army for several days. HE WAS NOT IN ANY OF THE MEETINGS! an Army official said, for example, in an email to The Post. The Army and Flynn later admitted he was on the call.

17. Did Maj. Gen. Timothy Gowen, the adjutant general of the Maryland National Guard, get rebuffed by the Pentagon. The general ... kept running it up the flagpole, and we dont have authorization, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has said.

18. What steps were taken to preserve documents related to the events of Jan. 6? If no steps were taken, why not?

19. In the aftermath of the attack, did anyone at the White House or DOD attempt to scope or limit the degree to which DOD or DOD personnel cooperated with congressional investigations into the Jan. 6 attacks?

20. In the past year, we have seen menacing and/or violent protests at the U.S. Capitol, as well as state capitols and government buildings (e.g., Michigan). Is the Department of Defense adequately prepared to respond to threats beyond the U.S. Capitol?

21. According to the AP, an internal DoD timeline states that Vice President Mike Pence urgently called you at 4:08 p.m. Pence said the Capitol was not secure and he asked military leaders for a deadline for securing the building, according to the AP. Clear the Capitol, Pence demanded. Was it unusual for you to receive any such order (or however you would like to characterize it) from the vice president who is not in the chain of command? Why were you receiving such communications from the vice president but not from the president?

Background: On Jan. 6, Miller also released a statement saying, Chairman Milley and I just spoke separately with the Vice President and with Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Senator Schumer and Representative Hoyer about the situation at the U.S. Capitol. Reporters noted that absent from the list of individuals was Trump.

For former Acting Attorney General Rosen:

1. Can you state on what occasions you spoke to President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, or Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about the events of Jan. 6, from that day until you left office? How would you characterize those conversations?

2. What steps were taken to preserve documents related to the Jan. 6 events, including documents in the custody of DOJ, other agencies, or the White House? If no steps were taken, why not?

3. In the aftermath of the attack, did anyone at the White House or DOJ attempt to scope or limit the degree to which DOJ personnel cooperated with congressional investigations into the Jan. 6 attacks?

4. It has been reported that a Justice Department lawyer, Jeffrey Clark, devised a plan with former President Trump to oust you from your position as acting attorney general and to put pressure on Georgia state lawmakers to overturn that states election results. Other Justice department lawyers apparently made a pact to resign in a bid to protect your job, and reportedly you met with Trump and Clark in the White House, where the president pressed you to appoint special counsels to look into false voter fraud claims. What can you tell us about these conversations, and about the presidents intentions?

5. When you reminded President Trump that the Justice Department found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, what did he say?

6. You were reportedly concerned that Clark, the Justice Department lawyer, believed false conspiracy theories about the election, and that he was acting on that information. What prompted those concerns?

7. It was also reported that when Trump was considering replacing you in order to pursue false claims of voter fraud, that he wanted the Justice Department to ask the Supreme Court to invalidate Bidens victory. Can you characterize the nature of that request, and the reasoning and justification the president, Clark, or others involved in the discussion used?

8. Were you aware that former interim U.S. attorney Michael Sherwin was at the Ellipse and walked alongside rally participants to the Capitol on Jan. 6th? If so, when did you become aware? Was he acting within the scope of his authority?

Editors Note: You can read more about the Defense Departments public timeline and what it appears to have omitted here.

Read more from the original source:
Investigating Jan. 6 Key Unanswered Questions for Congress and Media to Ask - Just Security

If Pence is seeking solidarity, however, it has not entirely been reciprocated. Since January 6, Trump and Pence have talked more than five times, according to a Pence aide, including three this month. But the two have mostly gone their own separate and distinct ways. And Trump aides say they are not keeping tabs on his political machinations like they are for other leading Republicans. Indeed, a handful of those contacted for this piece confided that they had no idea Pence was making his post-White House debut on Thursday.

The Vice Presidents foray into 2024 politics will be met with a more reserved golf clap, said a former Trump senior administration official, who described Trumps relationship with Pence as cordial but not intimate.

Inside Trumpworld, there is a sense that Pence no longer has the utility he once did. When he was chosen as Trumps running mate in 2016, it was in large part because of his appeal to evangelical conservative voters and the need to sooth over the GOP establishment. But political advisers to the 45th president see evangelicals as one of his most steadfast voting blocs now. And Trump himself has replaced or driven out the establishment that once recoiled at him.

Former President Donald Trump walks towards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House while departing for a Merry Christmas campaign rally in Battle Creek, Michigan. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

I like Mike Pence. I think he was a great VP. A great guy, said a former campaign aide. But the reality is a large portion of the Trump base doesn't like him or care about him. He wasn't a liability [in 2020]. But was he an asset? Sure. He could give good interviews. But his ability to attract new voters wasn't really there.

As they ponder another run for the presidency in 2024, Trump aides have discussed people other than Pence to serve in the VP candidate role (assuming Trump wins the nomination). On Thursday morning, Fox Business Maria Bartiromo floated the name of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a potential sidekick in the next presidential election, a suggestion Trump did not rule out.

A lot of people like that you know, Im just saying what I read and what you read they love that ticket, Trump said on Fox News. But certainly, Ron would be considered. Hes a great guy.

And when asked about the future of the Republican party on The Truth with Lisa Boothe podcast, Trump skipped Pences name in favor of singling out others like South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Penny Nance, CEO and President of the conservative group Concerned Women for America, said Pence looms large as someone we know and trust and supported very strongly in the past four years. Nance, who worked closely with the White House on conservative issues, also said, I dont think hes the only one I havent endorsed anyone but he is someone who has a lot of respect among evangelical Christian voters.

While some in Trumps own circle are skeptical of Pence assuming the MAGA mantle, according to a March survey from GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio, the former VP is the top pick among Republican voters for a presidential ballot without Trump.

I think if Pence got into a Trumpless field hed be a top-tier candidate but he wouldnt be the only top-tier candidate, said a former Trump adviser. Would it surprise me to see Mike Pence heading up Heritage instead of running for president or being the GOP nominee in 2024? No.

Pences political career and deep network within the evangelical conservative corners of the Republican party has been carefully built up over the years, as a talk radio host, congressman from Indiana, governor of the state, and a sobering force on the 2016 Republican presidential ticket. Over the course of Trumps tumultuous four years in office, he stood by Trumps side through repeated controversy. The belief among Pence aides was that Trump supporters would reward him for that loyalty.

January 6 has changed that, sullying Pences reputation among the MAGA crowd and Trump, who told Republican donors behind closed doors earlier this month he was disappointed in his vice president for not doing more to stop election certification.

View original post here:
Mike Pence reemerges. But Trumpworld is moving on. - POLITICO