Vice President Mike Pence lawyers up:
Vice President Mike Pence has hired outside legal counsel to help with both congressional committee inquiries and the special counsel investigation into possible collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Russia.
Pence hired Virginia lawyer Richard Cullen to help him navigate the special counsel investigation into Russian election hacking and its possible Trump campaign ties. It also goes against Trump lawyer Marc Kasowitz's apparent advice to staff that they needn't bother with hiring their own lawyers. Mike Pence will be making sure Mike Pence is protected, thank you very much.
The vice president’s office said Pence’s decision to retain Cullen underscores his desire to fully cooperate with any inquiries related to the Russia probe, and is in line with what Trump has done in hiring Kasowitz.
Just out of curiosity, would we know Richard Cullen from any other high-profile cases that Mike Pence is probably not eager to join the ranks of?
His other high-profile clients have included Tom DeLay, the former Republican majority leader who was investigated by the Department of Justice for his relationship with Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff; Elin Nordegren, the ex-wife of Tiger Woods, in her divorce from the golf star; and former senator Paul Trible (R-Va.), during the Iran-Contra investigation.
Ah. Well, Pence has certainly picked a guy who knows his way around infamous Republican scandals—and if Pence needs a divorce after all shakes out this he'll have that covered too. Good times.
Among the questions Pence will probably have to answer for to the special counsel's office: His role in vetting now-removed national security adviser Mike Flynn, whose foreign ties Pence was previously warned of despite his public denials, and his role in the White House's dismissal of FBI director James Comey, now being investigated as a possible attempt to interfere with the Russia investigation.