VP Pence heads to Aspen area for vacation

A motorcade ferrying Vice President Mike Pence to a residence near Snowmass Village on Tuesday sparked traffic delays from Eagle to the Roaring Fork Valley because of the high level of security that comes with being secondin-command to Donald Trump.

Pence and his wife, Karen, are visiting the area with a scheduled Jan. 1 departure from either AspenPitkin County Airport or Eagle County Airport near Vail, according to a Dec. 24dated Notice to Airmen from the Federal Aviation Administration. The Pence group landed at the Eagle County Airport at about noon Monday.

Local law enforcement was notified of Pence’s visit, including Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo. His office was on standby to provide any aid needed by the Secret Service, which said in an email to The Aspen Times that it “does not discuss itineraries.”

Efforts to reach the White House for the purpose of Pence’s visit were unsuccessful. DiSalvo and his predecessor’s office also have aided the Secret Service with visits from both Bill and Hillary Clinton, the Obama family, and the Trump family (not including the president), who vacationed in Aspen for spring break in March.

“We are doing what we always do,” DiSalvo said Tuesday. “I do consider the Secret Service another lawenforcement agency, and who they protect doesn’t matter. We’re helping the Secret Service, not the vice president.”