>> WAC BACK. SHANNON, YOU WRITE IN BUSINESS
WEEK ABOUT MIKE PENCE'S ROLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION.
QUOTE, AMID THE BACK FIGHTING TUM YOU WOULD AND CONTROVERSY
THAT DEFINES TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY, PENCE REMAINS A RARE PILLAR OF
CALM PROFESSIONALISM. HE'S AVOIDED WEST WING KNIFE
FIGHTS, MANAGING NOT TO MAKE ENEMIES.
HE'S ALSO STEERED CLEAR OF MAKING PUBLIC CONTRADICTIONS OF
THE PRESIDENT AND WISELY AVOIDED THE GRAVEST SIN IN TRUMP WORLD,
OVERSHADOWING THE BOSS, AND YET A QUIET TENSION LOOMS OVER HIS
ROLE AS QUESTIONS SWIRL ABOUT TRUMP'S FUTURE AND WHAT MAY COME
AFTER. ATTENTION HAS RETURNED TO PENCE
AND HIS FUTURE. HE'S SHOT DOWN ALLEGATIONS OF A
SHADOW PRESIDENCY. HOW TORTURED IS MIKE PENCE WHEN
HE HAS TO GO OUT AND ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING DONALD TRUMP SAYS AND
DOES. WE SAW THIS WEEK WITH MATT LAUER
IN THE WHITE HOUSE TALKING ACT CHARLOTTESVILLE AND SAYING WELL,
HE CAME OUT STRONGLY. HE CONDEMNED IT.
DOES HE BELIEVE EVERYTHING HE SAYS OR IS HE BEING A LOYAL SIDE
KICK? I THINK HE'S EMBRACED HIS ROLE.
HE FEELS -- I THINK HE FEELS COMFORTABLE IN WHAT HE'S DOING.
LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, HE'S COMFORTABLE BEING IN THE
POSITION OF SMOOTHING OVER THE ROUGH EDGES OF THE PRESIDENT'S
FOREIGN POLICY. BEFORE HE WENT ON THE LATIN
AMERICA TRIP, TRUMP THREATENED A MILITARY ACTION IN VENEZUELA
WITH SIRENS GOING OFF THERE. AND COOLEY WOULD GO IN AND SAY
NO, NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE MEAN. THAT'S NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING.
ALL THIS NAFTA TALK. HE'S JUST ABLE TO SEAMLESSLY GO
IN LIKE NOTHING IS GOING ON AND SAY WE'RE RENEGOTIATING NAFTA
FOR THE 21st CENTURY AND PRESENT AN ALTERNATE REALITY OF
EVERYTHING HAPPENING. >> DOES HE BELIEVE IT OR IS HE
PLAYING THE PART HE BELIEVES HE'S SUPPOSED TO PLAY?
>> HE'S PROBABLY THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN ANSWER THAT.
I PROBABLY TALKED TO TWO DOZEN PEOPLE ABOUT MIKE PENCE OVER THE
PAST TWO MONTHS. NO ONE HAS SUGGESTED THERE'S
SOME SINISTER PLOT GOING ON HERE.
HE KNOWS THAT IF MIKE PENCE WAS PRESIDENT, MIKE PENCE WOULD DO
THINGS DIFFERENTLY, BUT HE KNOWS MIKE PENCE IS NOT PRESIDENT.
MIKE PENCE WOULD NOT HAVE BEAT DONALD TRUMP.
HE IS THE VICE PRESIDENT AND TRUMP IS THE PRESIDENT WHO WAS
ELECTED, AND HE IS COMFORTABLE IN THAT ROLE.
BUT CERTAINLY IF HE WAS PRESIDENT, HE WOULD BE DOING A
LOT OF THINGS DIFFERENTLY. >> PRESIDENT TRUMP OBVIOUSLY HAS
PUT THE VICE PRESIDENT IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS TIME AND
TIME AGAIN ANSWERING FOR WHAT TRUMP SAID.
BUT MIKE PENCE KNEW WHAT HE WAS SIGNING UP FOR WHEN HE ACCEPTED
THE JOB. >> YEAH, AND THE TIME HE SEEMED
MOST DISQUIETED BY THE ROLE WAS AFTER THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPES
WHEN HE SAID HE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS APPROPRIATE.
EVER SINCE THEN IN TWEETS LIKE WHEN HE RETURNED FROM THE G-7
MEETINGS, HE'S KIND OF GUSHING TWEETS ABOUT HOW GREAT THE
PRESIDENT IS AND HOW AMERICA IS SO LUCKY TO HAVE HIM.
AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO RING FALSE.
IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE HE'S PLAYING A ROLE.
HE SEEMS HAPPY TO BE THE PERSON WHO IS CONSTANTLY THE
PRESIDENT'S CHAMPION WHEN IT COMES TO TOUGH ISSUES.
ONE THING I THINK HAS BEEN INTERESTING AND WE SHOULD
PROBABLY WATCH OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS IS WHAT MIKE PENCE SAYS
ON THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION, BECAUSE HE'S BEEN REMARKABLY
QUIET ABOUT THAT, AND THERE WAS SOME SPECULATION AROUND THAT
TIME WHEN PEOPLE WERE TALKING A LOT ABOUT BOB MUELLER ABOUT WHY
WAS MIKE PENCE BEING SO QUIET? WAS HE PROTECTING HIS OWN
REPUTATION? WAS HE TALKING TO FUNDRAISERS?
AND WAS THERE THIS SECRET AMBITION TO TAKE OVER SHOULD
SOMETHING