While on a diplomatic trip to Jerusalem, Vice President Mike Pence was more than happy to cement his position as a real bootlicker’s bootlicker. He made that clear during an Associated Press interview in whch he defended President Trump’s “shithole countries” comments in regard to immigration and dismissed claims of a 2006 affair between the then-Apprentice and adult actress Stormy Daniels as “baseless.”
“I know the president’s heart and I know that what President Trump wants to do is reform immigration to make our system one that puts the interests of America first,” Pence said, in response to claims that the president is racist for favoring immigrants from a majority white country like Norway over immigrants from “shithole” countries like Haiti and African nations. Pence then said that immigrants should be considered “regardless of what country they come from or what their race and creed is.”
The notion that Trump’s senior aides have some profound handle on what’s “in his heart” versus what constantly comes out of his mouth or gets written on his Twitter feed isn’t a new one. It’s a talking point former campaign manager and now senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway leaned on while defending him on the lead up to the inauguration in an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo about the notorious incident where Trump mocked New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski’s disability.
“You have to listen to what the president-elect has said about that. Why don’t you believe him? Why is everything taken at face value?” Conway said, amid claims that Trump wasn’t actually making fun of Kovaleski’s congenital joint disorder when he did a crude impression of the reporter on the campaign trail. “You can’t give him the benefit of the doubt on this and he’s telling you what was in his heart? You always want to go by what’s come out of his mouth rather than look at what’s in his heart.”
This belies the commonly held belief that what comes out of the president’s mouth is an indication of what’s in his heart. Like Conway, Pence is pushing the idea that Trump deserves the benefit of the doubt when he’s blown multiple opportunities to earn it.
Pence also demonstrated his shameless fealty to Trump by arguing reports an alleged affair between Trump and Daniels — which the Wall Street Journal claims left a paper trail regarding a $130,000 payout to buy the Good Will Humping star’s silence before the 2016 election — are “baseless.”
Either Pence is that committed to debasing himself for his boss, or he has no idea what “baseless” means as Daniels discussed the affair in great detail in a 2011 In Touch Weekly interview that had been shelved until last week.
But then, what else would you expect from a guy who ratted out his frat brothers when campus officials busted their party for having a keg?
