Deny, double down and tweet are Donald Trump’s coping mechanisms and it appears that Mike Pence is now a member of that school of thought as well. Mike Pence has been in the doghouse since last month when Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon said that he would not meet with Pence before the Olympics, citing the anti-gay Pence’s endorsement of gay conversion therapy. Pence is now denying that he ever endorsed or advocated funding for same, claiming those stories were fake news.
Pence is not only denying his pro conversion therapy stance, now he’s denying that he asked to speak to Rippon after the USA Today article and Rippon turned him down. Rolling Stone:
Jarrod Agen, the vice president's communications director, released a statement following USA Today's Wednesday story, denying that the invitation was ever extended.
"The USA Today report is false and should be corrected," the statement read. "The vice president's office did not reach out to set up a conversation with Mr. Rippon. As we've said before, the Vice President is supporting all the U.S. athletes in the Olympics and is hoping they all win medals. But this story is just not accurate."
As they say on Game of Thrones, “Everything before the word ‘but’ is bullshit.”
Rippon publicly came out as gay in 2015; his reference to gay conversion therapy refers to a 2000 statement on Pence’s congressional campaign website that advocated for Congress to reauthorize a law funding HIV/AIDS treatment – in particular, by directing funds toward "those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior."
(Pence's press secretary, Alyssa Farah, denied that Pence has ever supported conversation therapy, telling People in a statement back in January, "The accusation is totally false with no basis in fact.")
"If I had the chance to meet him afterwards, after I'm finished competing, there might be a possibility to have an open conversation," he said. "He seems more mild-mannered than Donald Trump … But I don't think the current administration represents the values that I was taught growing up. Mike Pence doesn't stand for anything that I really believe in."
Mike Pence is an even more facile liar than Donald Trump. He has his sanctimonious faux Christian facade to hide behind. Adam Rippon says he isn’t buying it and good for him.
