Loyalty marks Pence’s first year
WASHINGTON – Here are some of the key takeaways from Vice President Pence’s first year in office.
1. Loyalty to Trump
Pence has been an unfailingly loyal No. 2, neither taking credit for administration actions nor apparently participating in leaking from warring factions at the White House.
In fact, his effusive praise of President Trump has been much noted — and not often in a good way. In December, conservative columnist Michael Gerson called Pence “the cringing, fawning high priest of flunkiness.” That came after a Cabinet meeting at which Pence offered 14 commendations for Trump in less than three minutes, according to The Washington Post.
2. Congressional role
As president of the Senate, Pence has broken more ties than seven of his past nine predecessors, putting him in position to set a modern record. His first tiebreaking vote, to confirm Betsy DeVos as Education secretary, was the first time a vice president’s vote was needed for a Cabinet nomination.
Besides supplementing the Republicans’ razor-thin margin in the Senate, Pence has been involved in legislative negotiations on health care, taxes and other disputes. Two high points: presiding over the Senate when Neil Gorsuch’s nomination was confirmed to the Supreme Court and when lawmakers approved the tax package. A low point was the GOP’s failure to repeal Obamacare.
3. Russia investigation
Pence has not been interviewed by the special counsel investigating Russia’s suspected involvement in the 2016 election, but he hasn’t been unscathed by the developing story. Some of his statements have come back to bite him — including his assertions that former national security adviser Michael Flynn didn’t discuss sanctions with the Russian ambassador during the transition, his explanation for why James Comey was fired as FBI director, and his dismissing as “bizarre rumors” the suggestion that there were contacts during the campaign between Russian officials and Trump associates.
4. Media attention
In March, The Washington Post revived a comment Pence made in 2002 that he wouldn’t eat alone with a woman other than his wife and didn’t attend events featuring alcohol unless she was there. His version of the “Billy Graham rule” that some Protestant Christians follow quickly became known as the “Pence rule.” Debate over whether the rule guides good behavior or is demeaning to women intensified after sexual harassment allegations exploded in the entertainment and media worlds.
5. Special assignments
After Trump claimed that at least 3 million people voted illegally in the 2016 presidential election, he put Pence in charge of a commission to investigate voter fraud. Trump disbanded the commission this month in the midst of multiple lawsuits and resistance by states to turning over voter data.
Pence heads a revived space com- mission dormant since the George H.W. Bush administration, signaling Trump will emphasize the space program.
6. Liaison to social conservatives
Selected as Trump’s running mate in part for his strong ties to social conservatives, Pence remains a key administration ally for that constituency. He frequently addresses religious groups, collaborates with movement leaders and — days after being sworn in — became the highest-ranked administration official to appear in person at the annual March for Life anti-abortion rally.
7. Foreign travel
Pence made multiple trips abroad, often sparking headlines on how his mission was to reassure allies about Trump’s commitment. He made a surprise trip to Afghanistan in December. On the one-year anniversary of being sworn in, Pence was on a trip to the Middle East that included a visit to Israel.
8. Political activity
Pence started his own fundraising committee, an unusual move for a vice president. Created to help congressional candidates, the committee helps Pence strengthen ties with Congress. In August, when a New York
Times article suggested he’s positioning himself to run for president in 2020 if Trump does not, Pence called the piece “disgraceful and offensive.”
9. Hoosier influence
In addition to Hoosiers Pence brought with him to work in his office, Indiana boasts many others in influential posts. That’s particularly true at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which former Eli Lilly executive Alex Azar is on track to lead. Former Indiana health care consultant Seema Verma heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Former Indiana health commissioner Jerome Adams is the surgeon general.