Mike Pence: Almost as bad as Trump but he might not get us killed

[GreyhoundFan]

In a word: NO! "Do We Really Want Mike Pence to Be President?"

Spoiler

The remarkable thing about Vice President Mike Pence is that he is not remarkable at all.

That’s one of the first things I learned last December when I arrived in Indiana to report on — let’s face it — the next president of the United States. The man takes up very little space, and undoubtedly this was his great appeal to Donald Trump, one of the great oxygen consumers of our time.

Of course, Mr. Pence’s great appeal to many people now is that he is not Donald Trump. Liberals salivate that Robert Mueller might metaphorically reverse an election they see as stolen by a steak salesman and his Moscow buddies. Conservatives dream of ridding themselves of a nutbag and installing a man who can pursue tax cuts and a few more Justice Neil Gorsuches without the fear of a third world war being started because of something Mr. Trump heard on Infowars.

Still, maybe we should all stop and ponder an actual Pence presidency.

Will the man who reportedly calls his wife “Mother” and has no temper to speak of usher in an era of ennui after Mr. Trump’s reign of trauma? Perhaps, but a Pence nap has its own consequences.

It is possible that we could replace the most flamboyant and flamboyantly unqualified president in history with the most quietly unqualified and unexamined president since Warren Harding. (He has never answered whether he believes in evolution, but the evidence is not encouraging.)

Mr. Trump was the bloated Macy’s parade float that no one thought had a chance, and not a lot of time was spent investigating his generic sidekick holding the ropes.

Mr. Pence was elected governor of Indiana in 2012 with less than 50 percent of the vote. Many of the politicos I talked to in Indiana described him as ambitious for the sake of ambition, with no ideological compass other than his evangelical Christianity. They thought that, unlike the previous governor, Mitch Daniels, Mr. Pence was interested in the job mainly to check off executive experience on his presidential-candidate résumé.

He certainly couldn’t stress his 12 years in Congress — an earlier congressional bid exploded when he used campaign funds to pay his mortgage — where he passed exactly zero bills that became law but frequently introduced legislation to defund Planned Parenthood.

Mr. Pence wrote in 2001 that the link between smoking and cancer was not proved, but during the 2012 campaign he hid his paleo-conservative views, talking instead of getting Indiana back to work. He pivoted after taking charge.

In 2015, conservative activists pressured Indiana legislators to introduce the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a bill that would make it easier for Indiana business owners to discriminate against gays if it offended their religious beliefs. Mr. Pence stood on the sidelines as the bill was constructed and signed the legislation in private. He then released a photograph of the signing that was so dumbfounding that Indiana State Representative Ed DeLaney, a Democrat, was accused of Photoshopping it by his colleagues when he circulated it. The photo showed Mr. Pence, pen in hand, surrounded by nuns and monks and three conservative backers, each with violently anti-gay beliefs. Immediately, corporations and convention groups threatened to pull business out of Indianapolis, a move that could have cost the state millions.

The controversy metastasized. Mr. Pence turned down an interview on “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.” But after consulting with his wife, Karen, his closest adviser, he decided to make an appearance.

That was a mistake. Mr. Stephanopoulos asked a simple question:

“So yes or no, if a florist in Indiana refuses to serve a gay couple at their wedding, is that legal now in Indiana?”

The governor railed against the “shameless rhetoric” surrounding the law and said: “The Religious Freedom Restoration Act has been on the books for more than 20 years. It does not apply, George, to disputes between individuals unless government action is involved.”

Mr. Stephanopoulos pointed out that supporters of the law said it would protect Christian florists from selling flowers for a gay wedding.

“Governor, is that true or not?”

Mr. Pence didn’t answer the question.

“Is tolerance a two-way street or not?”

Mr. Stephanopoulos gave Mr. Pence two chances to say he was not in favor of discrimination against gay people. He declined and pronounced he would not revise the law.

This did not sit well back home in Indiana. Legislative leaders met to work their way out of the political disaster and Mr. Pence wasn’t invited. A compromise was reached that pleased no one but was mushy enough that the tourists came back. Mr. Pence signed the bill and slipped out of the statehouse without taking any questions.

“America needs to understand that this is what they’re going to get,” said Scott Pelath, the Democratic House minority leader. “He is not going to look at something, assess it, think critically about it and go. He’s going to move slow. He’s going to have to go huddle up and sleep on it and pray on it.”

After the 2015 attacks in Paris, Mr. Pence announced that he was suspending the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana and would cut off aid to groups helping them. A family that was on its way to the state was shuttled to Connecticut, where Gov. Dannel Malloy accepted them, eventually winning a Profile in Courage award.

A federal judge ruled that Mr. Pence’s policy “clearly constitutes national-origin discrimination.”

Then the 2016 campaign began. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act had killed Mr. Pence’s presidential dreams; now he was trying to hang on to his day job. In April, he was booed at the home opener of the Indianapolis Indians, the city’s AAA team, shortly after he signed a restrictive anti-abortion bill. A May poll found the governor and his Democratic opponent in a statistical dead heat.

He hemmed and hawed over endorsing a candidate in the Indiana presidential primary before selecting Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. He made the announcement while reading from notes on talk radio and filled it with so much praise for Mr. Trump that it wasn’t clear which way he was going until he stopped talking.

On July 15, Mr. Trump threw Mr. Pence the life preserver. The Indiana governor gave Mr. Trump cover with the Christian right. And Mr. Pence proved to have something in common with Mr. Trump: Most observers thought he won the vice-presidential debate with Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia by sticking to his talking points, no matter their relationship with reality. (PolitiFact ruled that over 40 percent of Mr. Pence’s statements were either false or mostly false.)

The fact that the anti-abortion-eat-with-no-woman-not-my-wife Pence was able to put his evangelical Christian ideals into a blind trust to serve as conservative coverage for the once pro-choice, grope-braggart Mr. Trump dumbfounded Hoosiers. It shattered the illusion that if Mr. Pence had no gravitas, he at least had principles.

His election to the No. 2 job in November was met in the state Capitol with cartoon-level jaw drops and more-profane mutterings that Mr. Pence was the luckiest guy in the country.

Mr. Pence has done little as vice president to suggest he is rising to the occasion. As head of the transition committee, he was either (a) kept in the dark about Michael Flynn’s being investigated for his international ties or (b) lied about it. Neither is a comforting thought. Both are totally him.

The only certainty of a Pence presidency is a Christian conservative bias for judges who will make Americans long for the relatively sane Justice Gorsuch.

Do I think Mike Pence is less likely to start a nuclear war than Donald Trump or to throw a reporter in jail over a Twitter beef about his daughter’s shoe line? Absolutely. There is that upside.

"...grope-braggart..." Another good name for twitler in chief.

[candygirl200413]

So I went to one of my senator's townhalls a few months ago and became friends/ joined a progressive org by talking to some of the co-founders that were in line with alongside. One woman was originally from Indiana and her job worked greatly at the Governor house (Pence). She is Indian-american and told me the few interactions she had with Pence was rude because he couldn't talk to her, like he was just in awe of an POC woman that he couldn't talk to her! He was able to talk to her white fiance easily.

 

[nvmbr02]

On 5/29/2017 at 10:02 AM, candygirl200413 said:

So I went to one of my senator's townhalls a few months ago and became friends/ joined a progressive org by talking to some of the co-founders that were in line with alongside. One woman was originally from Indiana and her job worked greatly at the Governor house (Pence). She is Indian-american and told me the few interactions she had with Pence was rude because he couldn't talk to her, like he was just in awe of an POC woman that he couldn't talk to her! He was able to talk to her white fiance easily.

 

Well, if he wont eat alone with a woman, even for work purposes, he isn't likely to talk to them either. It is just horrifying that in 2017 we are still here, with groups of people not considered equal.

[candygirl200413]

Exactly, @nvmbr02. It's another reason that makes me extremely mad when people, all his polices (if he ever became president) would only benefit him and those like him (WASPs).

[GreyhoundFan]

12 hours ago, candygirl200413 said:

Exactly, @nvmbr02. It's another reason that makes me extremely mad when people, all his polices (if he ever became president) would only benefit him and those like him (WASPs).

Even narrower -- his policies would benefit WASP males. He doesn't care about women.

[fraurosena]

2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Even narrower -- his policies would benefit WASP males. He doesn't care about women.

Slightly broader (though not better) -- his policies would benefit WASP males and foetuses in utero. 

 

[Ali]

6 hours ago, fraurosena said:

and foetuses in utero.

This is not necessarily true if he pushes to get rid of the mandate for maternity coverage and pregnancy becomes a preexisting condition again. All they care about is preventing women from getting an abortion.

[fraurosena]

Yessssssss... 

Professor who predicted Trump win says Pence should be investigated too

Spoiler

President Donald Trump has called the media "the enemy of the American people," but Vice President Mike Pence must think that they are his best friends. So far, Pence had received a free pass from much of the media for his false statements to the American people. According to a now standard account, Pence is the innocent victim of deceptions by others – former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the president himself.

But this is supposition only, with no hard evidence behind it. It is equally plausible that Pence is complicit in the lies propagated by the Trump administration and perhaps even involved in a cover-up of potentially impeachable transgressions. That's why he must be investigated thoroughly by the Congress and the FBI along with the president and other members of the Trump campaign team and administration.

For a seasoned politician who served for 12 years in Congress and three years as governor of Indiana, Pence has seemed remarkably easy to fool. Supposedly, Mike Flynn fooled Pence into affirming that Flynn's conversations with Soviet Ambassador Sergey Kislyak were "strictly coincidental" and had nothing "to do with United States' decision to expel diplomats or impose censure against Russia."

Flynn's alleged lying to Pence provided a convenient cover story for Trump's firing of the National Security Advisor. It enabled Trump to shirk the much more serious charge that the Russians had compromised Flynn as Acting Attorney General Sally Yates had warned the White House counsel 18 days before.

Pence was allegedly fooled again when he said that Trump fired FBI Director Comey because he accepted "the recommendation of the deputy attorney general and the attorney general." Trump later admitted that he had intended to sack Comey before he received any Justice Department recommendations and that "this Russia thing with Trump" was on his mind when he made the firing decision.

The theory of Pence as innocent victim lacks credibility because he has a history of lying that extends from his candidacy to his tenure as vice president. None of these lies can be blamed on anyone else's deception. A PolitiFact comparison of vice presidential candidates during the 2016 campaign rated 42 percent of Pence's statements as mostly false or false, compared to 23 percent for Democratic candidate Tim Kaine.

For example, on July 24, 2016, Pence said that Hillary Clinton "took 13 hours to send help to Americans under fire" during the terrorist attack in Benghazi. In fact, Hillary Clinton and the State Department had nothing to do with the response to the Benghazi attack. That responsibility fell upon the Defense Department, as the government-savvy Pence should have known full well.

In this vice-presidential debate, Pence charged that "less than 10 cents on the dollar from the Clinton Foundation goes to charitable causes." Yet the American Institute of Philanthropy's Charity Watch reported that the Foundation spends 88 percent of the money it raises on charitable services and only 12 percent on overhead.

As vice president on March 9, 2017, Pence said that regarding stories about Flynn's lobbying for Turkey, "Hearing that story today was the first I'd heard of it." Yet Pence was the head of the transition team that recommended Flynn for National Security Adviser and news reports in November 2016 had disclosed Flynn's lobbying for Turkey.

Beyond press reports, on November 18, 2016, Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings, the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Pence warning: "Recent news reports have revealed that Lt. Gen. Flynn was receiving classified briefings during the presidential campaign while his consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group, Inc., was being paid to lobby the U.S. Government on behalf of a foreign government's interests. … Lt. Gen. Flynn's General Counsel and Principal, Robert Kelley, confirmed that they were hired by a foreign company to lobby for Turkish interests"

Lies spoken softly by Mike Pence are no less insidious than lies bellowed and blustered by Donald Trump. Pence must be part of all investigations of the Trump administration. Under Article 4, Section 2 of the constitution, a vice president no less than a president is subject to impeachment.

 Apparently Mueller has just hired professor Allan Lichtman, the author of the article. 

[Childless]

On 5/30/2017 at 9:41 PM, Ali said:

This is not necessarily true if he pushes to get rid of the mandate for maternity coverage and pregnancy becomes a preexisting condition again. All they care about is preventing women from getting an abortion.

Which proves my point that it's not about the precious babies, but about controlling women.

[Howl]

This is a post mostly about Erik Prince, Pence's mentor, who certainly has his nose under the tent in Trump foreign policy; actually, Prince may have erected the tent. 

Quote

Prince and his family have had a long association with Vice President Mike Pence, ...through mutual religious and political affiliations based on a militant theocratic worldview. Prince and his sister Betsy DeVos, now the secretary of education, were big donors to Trump’s campaign. Considering that Trump’s knowledge of world affairs can barely fill a shot glass, seeing Prince among his inner circle of advisers is unnerving to say the least. Salon, How much do we know about Blackwater founder Erik Prince — and his secretive role in shaping Trump’s foreign policy?

Keep in mind this term: militant theocracy.  In 2009, two former Blackwater employees filed a lawsuit in Virginia accusing Prince 

Quote

of wanting to start a religious crusade against Muslims. In an affidavit lodged with a court in Virginia, one of the witnesses said that Mr Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe."   The Economist,  Erik Prince and the last crusade: A company of mercenaries is accused of killing in the name of Christ

Moving along to Prince, Pence, and Trump, Prince now lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAR).  According to WaPo in April, the UAR set up the Jan. 11, 2017 Seychelles meeting between Prince and a Putin associate to establish back-channel communications between Putin and Trump.  Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel

Prince is up to his eyeballs in bad crap, as the title of this Intercept article clearly shows:   Erik Prince in the Hotseat: Blackwater's Founder is under Investigation for Money Laundering, Ties to Chinese Intel and Brokering Mercenary Services

That this guy that has any influence on our foreign policy is horrifying in a "Hey, I saw a boa constrictor kill and eat a rat!" kind of way, but it does make sense:  militant theocrat with zero scruples, hates Muslims but lives in a Muslim nation,  has connections with bad guys out the kazoo, is doing bidness with China big time.  #how handy is that? #what could possibly go wrong?

Recently Prince was attempting to sell a deal to control the influx of refugees across the Libyan border.  One assumes those refugees are primarily Muslims, although there are Christians as well. 

Wrapping around back to Pence.  What are the chances he didn't know about Flynn?  I'd say zero.  Pence carefully hides a Christian extremist agenda behind the nice haircut and urbane facade. Were he to become president there could be incalculable damage done, because while  Trump is a bumbling idiot, Pence is not. Think of Betsy DeVos's scorched earth policies toward education and apply that to the entire nation.   Off to check on possible connections between Flynn and Erik Prince! 

ETA: Well, that didn't take long -- again, Salon lays it out pretty well: 

Quote

Prince also frequently talked with Michael Flynn, who later became national security adviser before resigning in disgrace due to his own undisclosed Russian connections...

...While it is unclear what advice Prince gave to the incoming Trump administration, the Blackwater founder is notorious for his anti-Muslim views. One former employee testified last year that Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe.” 

Prince himself appeared on Breitbart’s radio show in September [2016] to accuse Hillary Clinton’s aide Huma Abedin of being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, arguing that “she’d have a very difficult time passing any actual quality security background check on agents of influence.” Salon, April 18, 2017  Blackwater founder Erik Prince has been giving Donald Trump counter-terrorism advice

Flynn, Bannon, Prince! 

Edited June 7, 2017 by Howl

[CTRLZero]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

militant theocrat with zero scruples, hates Muslims but lives in a Muslim nation,  has connections with bad guys out the kazoo, is doing bidness with China big time.  #how handy is that? #what could possibly go wrong?

Egads!  This administration is rotten to the core, and we keep finding more hidden maggots.  I wonder if there any more DeVos/Prince siblings out there, because I'm sensing a familial theme and it ain't pretty.

[Howl]

46 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

Egads!  This administration is rotten to the core, and we keep finding more hidden maggots.  I wonder if there any more DeVos/Prince siblings out there, because I'm sensing a familial theme and it ain't pretty.

I keep seeing references to the Mercer family, but I know very little about them. 

Edited June 7, 2017 by Howl

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

I keep seeing references to the Mercer family, but I know very little about them. 

Yeah, the Mercer family is a group of billionaires who back Breitbart and a bunch of alt-right organizations. I posted this article a few days ago where they are referenced. You know they're not clean if they have worked closely with Bannon. Here's another article where they are paying for climate change skeptics .  Here's an article where they helped finance some of Bannon's hateful "films" . And, finally: "The Mercer family made one of the best political investments in history". There are many links in that last article that discuss the family.

[fraurosena]

20 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Yeah, the Mercer family is a group of billionaires who back Breitbart and a bunch of alt-right organizations. I posted this article a few days ago where they are referenced. You know they're not clean if they have worked closely with Bannon. Here's another article where they are paying for climate change skeptics .  Here's an article where they helped finance some of Bannon's hateful "films" . And, finally: "The Mercer family made one of the best political investments in history". There are many links in that last article that discuss the family.

If my memory is correct, I posted an article in februari about Robert Mercer. I think it was this one from the Guardian, in which links are made between Mercer, Bannon, TT and Farage and Cambridge Analytica. It's a really scary read...

 

[GreyhoundFan]

30 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

If my memory is correct, I posted an article in februari about Robert Mercer. I think it was this one from the Guardian, in which links are made between Mercer, Bannon, TT and Farage and Cambridge Analytica. It's a really scary read...

 

You know what's really sad? If they spent half as much money actually improving the world as they did breaking it apart, the world would be a much better place. Of course, that doesn't fit in with their, "I've got mine, screw you" philosophy.

[fraurosena]

During his testimony before the SSCI, there was this exchange:

------

Ron Wyden - Oregon:
Vice President pence was the head of the transition. To your knowledge, was he aware of the concerns about Michael Flynn prior to or during General Flynn's tenure as national security adviser?

James Comey:
I don't -- you're asking including up to the time when Flynn was forced to resign, my understanding is he was. And I'm trying to remember where I get that understanding from. I think from Acting Attorney General Yates.

-----

Why is nobody jumping on this bit of information about Pence? Comey just confirmed what everyone already suspected, that Pence was lying when he said he didn't know about Flynn. I have not seen or heard anyone from any news outlet talking about this. All anyone is reporting about is the TT obstruction of justice allegations. Nothing about Pence at all. Or have I missed something?

[formergothardite]

There is no way he didn't know. I too am surprised that that part isn't getting more discussion. He is basically calling Pence a liar for claiming he knew nothing. 

[fraurosena]

33 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

There is no way he didn't know. I too am surprised that that part isn't getting more discussion. He is basically calling Pence a liar for claiming he knew nothing. 

And it has potentially huge implications.

First of all, if TT were to be ousted out of office, Pence is the next in line to the presidency. Does America want a second interation of what happened with TT? A president lying and colluding with the Russians? Only in a slightly more civilized and quiet manner?

Secondly, this is an impeachable offence, and Pence himself could be impeached now. Impeachement is not solely reserved for presidents, it's also applicable to vice-presidents (among others). I don't think it will happen, solely off the basis of Comey's testimony, but I sure hope that Mueller's investigation is also looking into Pence (actually, I am quietly confident Mueller is, as Flynn is the crux and Pence is tied to him).

But it is an MSM fail not reporting on this though.

[Audrey2]

I really want to see Pence go down with Trump for his Russian involvement. The worst thing, though, is that would make Paul Ryan President, as Speaker of the House is third in the line of succession if the President and Vice President would go down before a new VP is appointed. The words President and Ryan together terrify me. He would be another evil incarnate, with his desires to eliminate or reduce Medicare and Social Security.

[formergothardite]

There is literally no better option to replace Trump unless we first get rid of Pence and Ryan. Taking out Ryan will be harder than taking out Pence. Ryan might actually be a bit scarier than Trump. Trump is angry and pretty inept, Ryan know the ropes and will get bad shit done. 

[GreyhoundFan]

2 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

There is literally no better option to replace Trump unless we first get rid of Pence and Ryan. Taking out Ryan will be harder than taking out Pence. Ryan might actually be a bit scarier than Trump. Trump is angry and pretty inept, Ryan know the ropes and will get bad shit done. 

I am so with you on this. Ryan is a sneaky bastard who knows how to work the system quietly to screw over the American people. The ONLY thing he'd be better at is relations with our allies. I don't think he'd do the dumbass crap that TT has done, like shoving the PM of Montenegro.

[GreyhoundFan]

"Vice President Pence shakes up his staff"

Spoiler

Vice President Pence shook up his staff Thursday, announcing that Nick Ayers — the hard-charging Republican operative who served as campaign chairman for Pence's 2016 vice presidential bid — will become his new chief of staff, starting in August.

Ayers will replace Pence's current chief of staff, Josh Pitcock, who worked for Pence for 12 years, following him from the House to the Indiana governor's mansion and finally to the vice presidency.

The change comes amid continued White House turmoil, some of which has sucked Pence into its swirling maw. First, former national security adviser Michael Flynn misled the vice president about his contacts with the Russians — a fact Pence first learned about from a report in The Washington Post. More recently, President Trump publicly contradicted Pence about the reasons for the firing of James B. Comey as FBI director.

Pitcock is a Pence loyalist and well-liked, but there was growing unease among some in the vice president's orbit about whether the soft-spoken chief of staff could best serve as the strategic attack dog they believe Pence needs to help insulate him from some of the tumult enveloping the White House.

“Josh Pitcock's more than 12 years of service have played an invaluable role throughout my public career,” Pence said in a statement. “His professionalism and integrity are unmatched and he will be missed. I will always be grateful for the foundation Josh laid in the office of the vice president and wish him every success in his future endeavors. Whatever the future holds for Josh and his family, he will remain one of my most trusted advisers and cherished friends.”

Pence's team began discussing the shake-up a month ago, finalized the details a week-and-a-half ago, and officially announced on Thursday, two people with knowledge of the conversations said.

Pitcock will remain in the post through the end of July, to help Ayers with the transition. He is planning to move to the private sector, but will remain an informal adviser to the vice president.

Ayers, who currently sits on the board of America First Policies — the pro-Trump outside group that recently stoked controversy by attacking Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) for not supporting the Senate Republican health-care bill — as well as serves as chairman for a Pence leadership PAC, needs time to unwind himself from these outside groups and eliminate any other conflicts from his own businesses.

Ayers, who briefly flirted with a bid for the governorship of Georgia, where he lives, is expected to move to Washington for the job.

“I have such deep respect and admiration for the Pences and believe so deeply in the policies the vice president and the president are fighting for,” Ayers said in a statement. “Leaving Georgia — albeit temporarily — was only possible because of how important my wife and I believe this mission is. I am honored with the trust the vice president has in me and excited to serve in this capacity.”

Pitcock is leaving Friday for a long beach weekend to celebrate his anniversary with his wife and plans to take a longer vacation in August.

Oh, good, he's hiring a mud-slinger. Just what we need. <end sarcasm>

[GrumpyGran]

7 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

"Vice President Pence shakes up his staff"

  Reveal hidden contents

Vice President Pence shook up his staff Thursday, announcing that Nick Ayers — the hard-charging Republican operative who served as campaign chairman for Pence's 2016 vice presidential bid — will become his new chief of staff, starting in August.

Ayers will replace Pence's current chief of staff, Josh Pitcock, who worked for Pence for 12 years, following him from the House to the Indiana governor's mansion and finally to the vice presidency.

The change comes amid continued White House turmoil, some of which has sucked Pence into its swirling maw. First, former national security adviser Michael Flynn misled the vice president about his contacts with the Russians — a fact Pence first learned about from a report in The Washington Post. More recently, President Trump publicly contradicted Pence about the reasons for the firing of James B. Comey as FBI director.

Pitcock is a Pence loyalist and well-liked, but there was growing unease among some in the vice president's orbit about whether the soft-spoken chief of staff could best serve as the strategic attack dog they believe Pence needs to help insulate him from some of the tumult enveloping the White House.

“Josh Pitcock's more than 12 years of service have played an invaluable role throughout my public career,” Pence said in a statement. “His professionalism and integrity are unmatched and he will be missed. I will always be grateful for the foundation Josh laid in the office of the vice president and wish him every success in his future endeavors. Whatever the future holds for Josh and his family, he will remain one of my most trusted advisers and cherished friends.”

Pence's team began discussing the shake-up a month ago, finalized the details a week-and-a-half ago, and officially announced on Thursday, two people with knowledge of the conversations said.

Pitcock will remain in the post through the end of July, to help Ayers with the transition. He is planning to move to the private sector, but will remain an informal adviser to the vice president.

Ayers, who currently sits on the board of America First Policies — the pro-Trump outside group that recently stoked controversy by attacking Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) for not supporting the Senate Republican health-care bill — as well as serves as chairman for a Pence leadership PAC, needs time to unwind himself from these outside groups and eliminate any other conflicts from his own businesses.

Ayers, who briefly flirted with a bid for the governorship of Georgia, where he lives, is expected to move to Washington for the job.

“I have such deep respect and admiration for the Pences and believe so deeply in the policies the vice president and the president are fighting for,” Ayers said in a statement. “Leaving Georgia — albeit temporarily — was only possible because of how important my wife and I believe this mission is. I am honored with the trust the vice president has in me and excited to serve in this capacity.”

Pitcock is leaving Friday for a long beach weekend to celebrate his anniversary with his wife and plans to take a longer vacation in August.

Oh, good, he's hiring a mud-slinger. Just what we need. <end sarcasm>

Why do I feel like this is Pence preparing for something he is fairly certain is coming? He'll want to do a better job than Trump did getting his presidency off the ground.

[GreyhoundFan]

To be fair, @GrumpyGran, Pence has probaby been preparing for a promotion since the day he said yes to Agent Orange. I agree with you that it's kind of interesting timing.

[fraurosena]

Everybody has been wondering if the presidunce can read. But what about Pence?