Indiana Gov. Mike Pence may have been chosen to be Donald Trump’s running mate because he had the fewest skeletons in his closet, the Republican presidential nominee suggested on Monday.
“Did I do a good job with Mike Pence?” Trump asked voters at a town hall with Pence in Roanoke, Va. “Him and his family, what a high quality person.
“You know you have to vet people, right? And we vetted Mike and he came back and these are killers …” Trump explained. “They came back with many pages on certain people … Many many pages. [But] with Mike, they came back with like nothing.
“He’s like the most perfect human being, this guy,” Trump said, gesturing toward Pence who stood to the side of the stage.
“I said, ‘Mike, did you ever do anything wrong in your whole life?’ He said, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ He’s the best guy. Where is he? This is great. I love this guy. I love him,” the billionaire added, seemingly fawning over his running mate.
Trump also said he’d “like to write a book” about the other men and women he’d considered for the bottom of the Republican presidential ticket and what their vetting paperwork revealed.
Before choosing Pence, Trump announced that he had narrowed his short list down to the Indiana governor, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Sources close to the campaign had viewed both men as potential liabilities, Christie because of the George Washington Bridge closure scandal and Gingrich because of his rhetorical flair and two divorces.
