White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders denied Tuesday that Vice President Pence was trying to distance himself from President Trump after new details about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian national became public.
“There’s absolutely no distance between the president and the vice president,” Sanders said.
Pence’s office released a statement highlighting the fact that he wasn’t on the Republican ticket when Trump Jr.’s meeting about Hillary Clinton with the Russian lawyer took place.
“He was not aware of the meeting,” Pence’s spokesman said Tuesday. “He is also not focused on stories about the campaign — especially those pertaining to the time before he joined the campaign.”
The vice president’s statement came after Trump Jr. released the email chain setting up the controversial meeting, a thread that included a reference to Russia trying to help the elder Trump’s presidential campaign.
Pence, who as vice president comes next in the line of presidential succession, has never been tied to any Russian collusion allegations.
