Mike Pence defends Trump against “slander and lies”
LEHIGH, PA -- Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence forcefully defended his running mate on Wednesday against what he derided as “unsubstantiated allegations” of sexual misconduct made by multiple women.
The Indiana governor spoke at a gathering of the Lehigh County GOP reiterating that Donald Trump had “categorically denied” such allegations. He went on to assail the media saying, “We’re not going to allow the Clinton campaign and the national media to turn this campaign into a discussion of slander and lies.”
Pence’s offensive against the media took a page from Trump earlier in the day. The New Yorker struck a similar message asserting at a Florida rally in the afternoon saying, “these attacks are orchestrated by the Clintons and their media allies. The only thing Hillary Clinton has going for her is the press. Without the press, she is absolutely zero.”
An outraged Trump also said that the allegations were “preposterous, ludicrous, and defy truth, common sense and logic.”
Pence’s response to the latest Trump controversy is a striking departure from his reaction to the leaked Trump tape last Friday showing the billionaire making highly graphic comments about his treatment of women. “I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them,” Pence said in a statement over the weekend, although he later touted Trump’s apology as a sign of “humility” and declared that he was proud to stand with Donald Trump.
On Friday, the governor will be in New York City for multiple morning show interviews and a fundraiser before heading to Florida for two campaign stops.