Pence blasts mainstream media push of Russia collusion narrative
Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized the mainstream media for its push of the Russia collusion narrative while suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story.
Presidential candidate Mike Pence hit the mainstream media for pushing false narratives in a back-and-forth interview with "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd on Sunday.
The former vice president was asked about the recent indictment against former President Trump over the alleged mishandling of classified documents. Todd noted that Pence previously claimed that similar allegations against Hillary Clinton in 2016 made her unqualified to be president and questioned whether the same applied to Trump.
Pence then explained that the larger issue came from the media’s disproportionate coverage of political issues such as the allegations of Russia collusion or the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story.
"Chuck, the independent counsel found that the investigation into Russia collusion should never have been initiated. Yet, we lived through two-and-a-half years of a constant barrage, on your network, on the cable network associated with you and many of the other mainstream media, suggesting that there was Russian collusion. We had public officials who said there was evidence of collusion. Never happened," Pence said.
Pence attacked the mainstream media pushing false narratives on NBC's "Meet the Press." (NBC)
He added, "And then, I thought it was disgraceful the way big media and Big Tech essentially colluded to suppress the story of the Hunter Biden laptop in the run-up to the 2020 campaign, when the FBI actually had the laptop and knew it was legitimate. And so look, it's hard for me to believe that politics didn't play some role in the unprecedented decision to bring an indictment against a former president."
Todd initially pushed back against Pence’s claim that the Trump indictment allegations were proof of a "two-tier justice system."
"It's one more example of a two-tier justice system that we've been living through for seven years. I mean I have to tell you after seeing Hillary Clinton given a pass-" Pence explained.
Former Vice President Mike Pence announced his bid for the presidency in June. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
"By your Justice Department," Todd interrupted. "Jeff Sessions had another U.S. Attorney look into everything with the Clinton Foundation and didn't bring charges… This is a Republican Justice Department."
"Hillary Clinton was given a pass and then, we went two-and-a-half years through a Russia investigation, that we now know from the Durham Report should’ve never been begun," Pence reiterated.
During the interview, Pence was repeatedly asked about his opinion on the allegations and whether Trump should be convicted if they are proven to be true. Though he acknowledged they were "very serious" charges, he stopped short of condemning Trump entirely.
"I've read the indictment in detail, and the allegations in the indictment are serious, and I can't defend what is alleged. But the former president deserves his day in court. He deserves the opportunity to make his defense in a court of law. So I want to reserve judgment about this," Pence said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence won't say whether he'll support former President Trump if he won the GOP nomination in 2024. (Screenshot/CBS News)
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"No one’s above the law, and I believe the allegations are serious," he repeated.