Washington Post | Mike Pence's unbelievably repetitive interviews Washington Post March 1, 2017 1:29 PM EST - Vice President Pence hit the airwaves on March 1 to support President Trump's joint address to Congress and his interviews sounded just a little bit repetitive. (Peter Stevenson / The Washington Post). March 1, 2017 1:29 ... |
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Mike Pence's unbelievably repetitive interviews - Washington Post
WASHINGTONIn an effort to keep himself virtuously occupied during President Donald Trumps speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, Vice President Mike Pence was reportedly passing time by mentally baptizing all of the senators in attendance. Do you desire to obtain eternal life in the church of God through your faith in Jesus Christ? Pence imagined himself asking every senator in the chamber, contentedly working his way down the aisles to welcome each of the legislators into the fold by tipping their head into the cleansing waters of the Lord. Upon your profession of faith and accordance with the Lords command, I baptize you, Senator Feinstein of California, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May His everlasting light be with you always. Let us pray. At press time, Pence had reportedly begun mentally stoning all 435 fornicators in the House of Representatives as the presidents speech entered its second hour.
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Pence Passing Time During Trump's Speech By Mentally Baptizing Senators - The Onion (satire)
WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump plans to finalize a new order limiting travel to the United States in the coming days, his vice president said on Wednesday, after federal courts blocked the administration's earlier travel ban.
A White House source had previously said the new order was likely to be announced on Wednesday.
More than two dozen lawsuits were filed in U.S. courts against the Jan. 27 travel ban, which temporarily barred entry to the United States for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, as well as halting the U.S. refugee program.
The ban was suspended by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling in a case brought by Washington state. The Trump administration then said it would produce a new order.
"They're putting out the finishing touches on that executive order. It should be out in the next few days," Vice President Mike Pence told CBS program "This Morning."
The original order triggered chaos at airports as people, including legal residents known as green card holders, were temporarily blocked from entering the country and federal agencies tried to interpret the new guidelines.
The administration has said it is likely the new directive will exclude legal permanent residents, making it harder for opponents to challenge the ban. [L2N1GD20P]
Pence did not elaborate on the revised directive.
The Associated Press, citing unidentified U.S. officials, reported late on Tuesday that the new order will remove Iraq from the list of countries whose citizens face a temporary travel ban.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Frances Kerry)
U.S. President Donald Trump will target a handful of Obama-era green regulations, including a federal coal mining ban and an initiative forcing states to cut carbon emissions, in an executive order as soon as next week, a White House official told Reuters on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump told Congress on Tuesday he was open to immigration reform, shifting from his harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration in a speech that offered a more restrained tone than his election campaign and first month in the White House.
WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Donald Trump's pick to head the Interior Department as the White House seeks to increase fossil fuel production on federal lands.
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New Trump travel order expected in coming days, Pence says - Reuters
The emails could reveal political strategies Republicans had in opposition to Obamas policies and set a precedent for the Indiana's executive office. Nate Chute/IndyStar
Vice President-elect Mike Pence acknowledges the crowd before the swearing in of Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)Buy Photo
Vice President Mike Pence continued to fight to keep secret a political white paper emailed to him while he was Indiana governor, petitioning the Indiana Supreme Court not to review a public records denial for the controversial papers.
If opened, the communicationscould reveal a slewofRepublican political strategiesthat Pence and dozens of other U.S.governors devised to fight former President Barack Obama and an executive order of his concerning immigration.
If the justicestake the case, the court also could redefine the bounds of open, publiccommunication forIndiana's executive office.
What's Mike Pence hiding in his emails?
The case stems from a public records request made in December 2014 by Indianapolis attorneyWilliam Groth, a Democrat, who was gathering information about the former Republican governor'suse of outside counsel for the immigration litigation and its cost to Indiana taxpayers.
Pence produced the requested emails but those documents included substantial redaction,including awhite paper the governor failed to produce, according to court records.
The white paper in question contains legal theories used by many governors in their decision to joinState of Texas et al v. United States of America,which challenged the Obama administration'sexecutive order regarding immigration.
After Groth filed suit in Marion CountySuperior Court, a judgeruled in favor of Pence, saying the redactions the administration made to thepublic record were "proper."
The ruling left open thepossibility that the executive branch could claim that its redactions were nonjusticiable, a legal term that means not for the court to decide. That finding was based on an earlier Supreme Court rulinginCitizens Action Coalition, et al. v. Indiana House Rep.about redactions made by the legislature.
Groth appealed thedecision in April. This January, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled thatGrothdoes not have the right to view the political white paper, but disagreed withthe governor's contention thatit would violate the separation of powers doctrine for the judiciary tosecond guessthe redactions.
Pence's legal team argues to keep email secret
Mike Pence prevails in email secrecy suit
That was an important finding to advocates of government transparency, who feared a Pence victory in the suit could set a broader precedent that would embolden future governors to refuse to disclose or heavily redact public documents with no court oversight.
Earlier this month, Grothpetitioned theIndiana Supreme Court to take up the case.
Indianapolis attorney GregBowes filed the 19-page petition on behalf of Groth claiming the appeals court erredin determining that the white paper did not have to be released because it was"deliberative material" for the purpose of preparing for litigation.
Groth is arguing the Court of Appeals improperly applied the attorney-client relationship doctrine because the white paper wasemailed to a wide range of people outside of the attorney-client relationship. He is also asking the court whether the court of appeals improperly created a "deliberative materials exception" tostate public records.
Calling Groth's lawsuit "unfounded" in court documents, Joseph Chapelle, Pence's attorney from Indianapolis law firm Barnes& Thornburg, last week filed the 30-page response.
Pence's legal team argues to keep email secret
Chapelle told IndyStar that the appellate court majoritys decision should stand and that if the Supreme Court takes on the case, "it will be an opportunity for the court to clarify the separation of powers doctrine."
In the latest court documents, Chapelle maintainsthat Pence will use executive privilegeas a defense in the future."There are policy reasons for executive privilege," Chapelle said.
Groth told IndyStar Sunday that he wants to seetransparency in government.
"Hoosiers are entitled to and should continue to demand more, rather than less, openness from all governmental officials, but especially from their governor," he said.
Call IndyStar reporter Fatima Hussein at (317) 444-6209. Follow her on Twitter:@fatimathefatima.
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Mike Pence asks Indiana Supreme Court to stay out of his redacted emails - Indianapolis Star
Establishing his role as President Trumps unofficial envoy to the Jewish community, Vice President Mike Pence found himself in Las Vegas on Friday, delivering greetings from the President at the Republican Jewish Coalitions Shabbat dinner.
I wanted to say Shabbat shalom to you all, Pence opened, moving on to a carefully crafted speech that touched on all issues Jewish Republicans may feel uneasy about: anti-Semitism, Israel, and the future of the Middle East. By doing so, Pence managed to disarm any lingering concerns while winning over the crowd made up of Jewish donors, activists and politicians gathered for the event.
The gathering, a first chance for Jewish Republicans movers and shakers to convene since the elections, brought together a group that had been slow to hop on the Trump train but is now working its way to the presidents camp. Trumps dealings with the outburst of anti-Semitic incidents across the U.S. since his election have raised concerns among some Jewish Republicans, but the presidents denunciation of anti-Semitism this week and Pences subsequent visit to the vandalized Jewish cemetery in Missouri, helped quell these concerns.
Let me be clear: we condemn these vile acts of vandalism and those who perpetrated them in no uncertain terms, Pence said. Hatred and anti-Semitism have no place in America.
We got answers, they made their position clear, said Shantal Razban Nia, a college student participating at the event after listening to Pences speech. Razban Nia, who describes herself as young, Jewish, and conservative, said that the statements by Pence and Trump on anti-Semitism, have made her very hopeful.
RJCs executive director Matt Brooks expressed his hope that Pence and Trumps remarks will put all questions to rest. There is a professional complaining class in the Jewish community that no matter what President Trump will say or do, they will attack him, Brooks said. Those who have an open mind will find that he is responsive in a very positive way.
The annual RJC leadership meeting took place at Sheldon Adelsons Venetian hotel and casino, where top Jewish Republican donors and activists can add a traditional poker game to their schedule of meetings and speeches, and where Elvis impersonators cross path with former administration officials and aspiring politicians. Organizers estimated the participants at 500-600, slightly more than in previous years, and several members noted the younger profile of the crowd and the abundance of Orthodox participants, distinguished by their kippahs. More than 100 of them took part in Shabbat services before the dinner.
Speaking at the CPAC conference on Thursday, Pence celebrated the victory of conservative values and the new direction America will be heading under Trump, promising a roaring conservative crowd that this is our time. His message Friday night, however, was tailored to Jewish Republicans who tend to identify less with the conservative social values but care deeply about Israel.
Let me assure you of this, Pence said. If the world knows nothing else, the world will know this: America stands with Israel. The vice president did not offer much in terms of details on how the Trump administration will back Israel. Pence mentioned Trumps intention to advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians and noted that he himself had discussed the issue with Adelson before the dinner. Trying to walk around Trumps pre-election promise to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Pence offered a new formulation, stating that the administration is assessing when the embassy should be relocated.
The best thing about this new administration is that I dont have to wake up every day and worry about what [former White House press secretary] Josh Earnest said about Israel, said Mark Levenson, a New Jersey Jewish activist who stated he is still a registered Democrat, but on Israel, my views are where Republicans are.
Adelson, RJCs chief sponsor, was Trumps biggest Jewish donor and is responsible, to a great extent, for bringing Jewish Republicans to coalesce behind Trump despite their early reservations. Speaking at a private dinner he hosted Thursday for RJC board members and top Republican politicians, Adelson reportedly said Trump is likely to be the best president for Israel ever. Adelson was joined by fellow Jewish casino magnate and Trump supporter Steve Wynn in a conversation that focused mainly on business and their experience in Vegass gambling scene. Among the participants at Adelsons home were Nevada Senator Dean Heller, House Foreign Affairs committee chairman Ed Royce and RNC ChairRonna Romney McDaniel.
One year ago many of us only dreamed we will keep our majority and win the White House, but sometimes dreams come true, said RJC board member Michael Epstein. Pence, in his speech, thanked Jewish Republicans for their support, ignoring the fact that many of them were not on board with Trump until after the elections. You all took a lot of flack for your courage, but you stuck with us, Pence said, then turning director to Sheldon and Miriam Adelson sitting and praising them for their patriotism and leadership.
Adelson, who lists Israel among his top interests in politics and in philanthropy, met with Trump at the White House days before the president hosted Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Attending RJCs gathering were also some of the other early adopting Jewish donors who stood alongside Trump before the elections, including Lew Eisenberg who chaired the Republicans finance committee, Mel Sembler and Elliott Broidy.
The RJC announced Friday the installment of its new top lay leader. Former Minnesota senator Norm Coleman will take over as national chairman, replacing David Flaum. In a statement, Coleman praised the recent RJC electoral achievements. Beyond a unified Republican government, this past election cycle, the RJC helped double the number of Republican Jewish voices in Congress. By doubling the number, Coleman was referring to the number of Jewish Republicans in the House of Representatives increasing from one to two.
Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman
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Mike Pence Seals The Deal For Jewish Republicans - Forward