Mike Pence appeared on “The Lead with Jake Tapper” this afternoon and the host took him to task for his inconsistencies and evasion of questions about how and why Michael G. Flynn, the son of Trump’s National Security Advisor, Lt. General Michael Flynn, was on the President-elect’s transition team. From CNN:
For months, the younger Flynn has spread deranged conspiracy theories, including one making the unfounded and nonsensical accusation that a pizzeria in Washington is a secret home of a Satanic pedophilia cult. On Sunday, that wild lie almost had tragic consequences, with a North Carolina man entering the restaurant armed with guns.
The younger Flynn continued to defend the baseless "PizzaGate" theory later Sunday evening.
"Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story. The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many 'coincidences' tied to it," he tweeted.
On Tuesday morning, Pence said that the younger Flynn had no role on the transition.
He was tweeting the completely fake story even after the gunman went to the restaurant. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn himself has sent out at least 16 fake (propaganda) stories on social media, which would seem to disqualify him from such a critical national security role. Nonetheless, Mike Pence appeared on CNN and Jake Tapper would not let him slide. Watch Mike Pence evade the question 6 TIMES:
TAPPER: I want to move to to other issues, but I’m afraid I just didn’t get an answer, which is were you aware that the transition had put in for a security clearance for Michael Flynn, Jr.?
PENCE: You know, I’ve worked very closely with General Flynn. We’ve met on many occasions. I’ve-I’ve never seen his son present for any of those meetings [inaudible]
TAPPER: But you’re the head of the transition team but you know who you’ve put in security clearances for.
PENCE: Well, well General—General Flynn did inform me that his son was helping on administrative matters. But, Jake this is all the kind of distraction that—that frankly, I know, with all due respect, the national media likes to go chasing after. I think what the American people are impressed by—and it’s the reason why frankly you see—you see public opinion on the rise about the president-elect in the last four weeks, is because their seeing the kind of decisive leadership Donald Trump is bringing to this transition. It’s the kind of energetic leadership that is going to focus on the priorities and the American people, building a team, building a legislative agenda, driving our nation forward to a stronger, more prosperous America.
TAPPER: The last question on this, sir—and, I’m sorry, it’s just that you’re not answering the question, which is, were you aware that the transition team had put in for a security clearance? I mean, this is a young man who had a social media profile that had all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories, that had all sorts of laws—all sorts of links and re-Tweets with white supremacists. Were you aware that the transition team put in a security clearance for him?
CBS reporter Sopan Deb has a fuller transcript on Twitter.