Vice President-elect Mike Pence will meet with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a brief visit to Washington on Wednesday, according to Trump transition officials.
Pence was expected to discuss the progress of the incoming administration’s transition operation with top Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but the meeting with Rice, a vocal critic of Trump during the election, comes as a last-minute surprise.
Transition spokesman Sean Spicer declined to provide additional information about the nature of the meeting or what the vice president-elect hopes to discuss with Rice.
Rice was one of several high-profile Republicans who called for Trump to end his White House bid following the release of the “Access Hollywood” audio tape in early October.
“Donald Trump should not be president. He should withdraw,” the former Bush administration official wrote in a Facebook post at the time.
Rice, who also declined to attend the Republican National Convention in July, simultaneously urged Trump to replace himself with “someone who has the dignity and stature to run for the highest office in the greatest democracy on earth.”
Pence is also expected to meet with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling and House Speaker Paul Ryan during his trip to Washington.
