>>> SO TODAY THE VICE PRESIDENT WAS IN SCOTTSDALE, AS RARZRIZONA
DOING WHAT WE USUALLY THINK OF
AS NORMAL STUFF FOR A VICE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO TAKE
QUESTIONS FROM REPORTERS, THE
VICE PRESIDENT GOT ASKED ABOUT,
WHAT ELSE, THE IMPEACHMENT
SCANDAL CURRENTLY ENGULFING HIS
BOSS, THE PRESIDENT.
VICE PRESIDENT PENCE GOT ASKED
ABOUT THE ALLEGATION THAT THE
PRESIDENT LEANED ON UKRAINE TO
INVESTIGATE THE LAST VICE
PRESIDENT AND CURRENT TRUMP
POLITICAL RIVAL JOE BIDEN.
PENCE’S OPINION?
PENCE’S OPINION? GO FOR IT.
>> WHEN YOU HOLD THE SECOND
HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND, IT
COMES WITH UNIQUE
RESPONSIBILITIES, NOT JUST TO BE
ABOVE IMPROPRIETY BUT TO BE
ABOVE THE APPEARANCE OF
IMPROPRIETY.
IMPROPRIETY. CLEARLY IN THIS CASE THERE ARE
LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS THAT OUGHT
TO BE ASKED.
>> HMM.
>> HMM. WHEN VICE PRESIDENT PENCE SAID
LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS THAT OUGHT
TO BE ASKED, HE WAS ESSENTIALLY
PARROTING AND DEFENDING THE
PRESIDENT’S UNFOUNDED AND
DEBUNKED CONSPIRACY THEORIES
ABOUT JOE BIDEN, EVEN AS THE
VICE PRESIDENT HAS BECOME THE
LATEST HIGH PROFILE
ADMINISTRATION FIGURE TO BECOME
EMBROILED IN THE SCANDAL.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" REPORTED
LAST NIGHT THAT PENCE WAS
INVOLVED IN TRUMP’S ALLEGED
EFFORTS TO PRESSURE UKRAINE.
AIDES TO PENCE SAID HE HAD
EITHER NOT KNOWN OR NOT
UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE PRESIDENT
WAS ALLEGEDLY DOING WHEN HE
ASKED THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE
FOR A FAVOR.
BUT THERE HE WAS TODAY, IN
ARIZONA, TELLING REPORTERS THAT
THE PRESIDENT DID NOTHING WRONG
IN THAT CALL.
AS THIS SCANDAL CONTINUES TO
HANG OVER THE WHITE HOUSE, MORE
PEOPLE IN TRUMP’S ORBIT ARE
COMING UNDER MORE AND MORE
SCRUTINY, EVEN BEFORE THE
REPORTING THIS WEEK ABOUT PENCE,
THIS THERE WAS ATTORNEY GENERAL
BILL BARR WHOSE NAME CAME UP
SEVERAL TIMES DURING PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S NOW INFAMOUS JULY 25th
CONVERSATION WITH THE UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THEN IT WAS SECRETARY OF STATE
MIKE POMPEO WHO FINALLY ADMITTED
THAT HE WAS ON THE LINE
LISTENING DURING TRUMP’S JULY
CALL WITH THE UKRAINIAN LEADER.
ALSO THAT HE WAS PASSED OPPO
DOCUMENTS BY RUDY GIULIANI THAT
TARGETED JOE BIDEN AND THE
FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO
UKRAINE BEFORE SHE WAS REMOVED
FROM HER POST.
THE VICE PRESIDENT’S STAFF IS
NOW SCRAMBLING TO TRIED TO
DISTANCE HIM FROM THE SCANDAL,
MAINTAINING THAT WHILE HE
PERSONALLY DELIVERED THE MESSAGE
THAT MILITARY AID WAS BEING
WITHHELD, HE WAS TOTALLY UNAWARE
OF TRUMP’S PRIOR REQUEST FOR
DIRT ON BIDEN.
TODAY PENCE FOUND HIMSELF IN THE
DUBIOUS POSITION OF HAVING TO
EXPLAIN THAT TO REPORTERS.
>> Reporter: CAN YOU SAY WHAT
YOU SPOKE ABOUT WITH PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY WHEN YOU MET WITH HIM
IN POLAND, AND WHETHER YOU
MENTIONED THE BIDENS AT ALL TO
HIM?
HIM? >> WELL, AS I SAID THE DAY AFTER
THAT MEETING, WE FOCUSED
ENTIRELY IN MY MEETING WITH
PRESIDENT ZELENSKY OF UKRAINE ON
THE ISSUES THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
HAD RAISED AS A CONCERN, NAME
LITLY
LITLY THE LACK OF SUPPORT FROM
EUROPEAN PARTNERS TO UKRAINE AND
ISSUES OF CORRUPTION IN UKRAINE.
THAT WAS ALL WE DISCUSSED.
THE SIMPLE TRUTH IS THAT THOSE
ARE THE SAME ISSUES THAT THE
PRESIDENT RAISED WITH PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY IN THEIR CALL.
ANYONE WHO LOOKS AT THE
PRESIDENT’S TRANSCRIPT WILL SEE
THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS RAISING
ISSUES THAT WERE APPROPRIATE,
THAT WERE OF GENUINE INTEREST TO
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> GREG MILLER IS NATIONAL
SECURITY CORRESPONDENT TO "THE
WASHINGTON POST" I’M SUCH A FAN
OF ALL YOUR REPORTING BUT THIS
STORY JUMPS OFF THE PAGE, HOW IS
IT GOING TO LAND WITH THE GUY IN
THE OFFICE WITH NO CORNERS?
IT SEEMED TO ME THAT PENCE DID A
LITTLE BIT OF DANCING TODAY.
>> YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK HE’S IN
A TOUGH SPOT.
HE HAS SO FAR IN THIS PRESIDENCY
WALKED THIS TIGHTROPE WHERE HE
SORT OF IS SUPPORTING THE
PRESIDENT AT EVERY STEP BUT
SIMULTANEOUSLY KEEPING SOME
DISTANCE AWAY FROM HIM, ENOUGH
DISTANCE THAT HE HASN’T BEEN
TERRIBLY TAINTED BY ALL THESE
SCANDALS.
SCANDALS. I THINK IN OUR STORY TODAY WE
WERE TRYING TO WRITE ABOUT JUST
HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO KIND OF
ACCEPT THAT ASSERTION OF OBJECT
OBLIVIOUSNESS IN THIS CASE GIVEN
HOW MANY RED FLAGS THERE WERE
SWIRLING ALL AROUND THE VICE
PRESIDENT WHILE HE’S DELIVERING
THESE MESSAGES, THESE POWERFUL
AND IMPORTANT MESSAGES TO THIS
NEW LEADER IN UKRAINE.
>> AND OBLIVIOUSNESS IS THE
PERFECT WORD, BECAUSE IF YOU
TAKE WHAT PENCE SAID IN THE TAPE
WE PLAYED, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE
THAT HE DIDN’T KNOW THAT WHEN HE
SAID INVESTIGATE CORRUPTION,
WHAT ZELENSKY HEARD WAS
INVESTIGATE BIDEN.
INVESTIGATE BIDEN. IS THAT YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF
PENCE’S POSITION TODAY?
>> I THINK THAT IS PENCE’S
POSITION.
POSITION. AND I’VE HAD MANY SENIOR
OFFICIALS, INCLUDING SENIOR
OFFICIALS IN THIS
ADMINISTRATION, SAY THEY FIND IT
HIGHLY IMPLAUSIBLE THAT PENCE
DIDN’T READ THE TRANSCRIPT OF
THAT JULY 25th CALL BETWEEN
TRUMP AND ZELENSKY BEFORE PENCE
THEN GOES OFF TO MEET WITH
ZELENSKY.
ZELENSKY. IT WOULD BORDER ON MALPRACTICE
FOR HIM NOT TO DO THAT WHEN HE’S
MEETING A NEW
SUCH A THIN RESUME AT THAT
POINT, FRANKLY, THAT ZELENSKY
HAD.
HAD. YOU WOULD WANT TO KNOW IF YOU
WERE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, WHAT’S HE BEEN
LIKE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST PLACE
YOU TURN.
YOU TURN. BUT EVEN IF YOU ACCEPT THAT
CLAIM FROM PENCE IN THIS CASE,
YOU WOULD HAVE TO IGNORE
EVERYTHING THAT GIULIANI WAS
DOING AND SAYING IN A VERY
PUBLIC FASHION, AND ALL OF THESE
OTHER ALARMS THAT WERE HAPPENING
IN AND AROUND HIM AT THE WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. >> THE OTHER PIECES IN THE
PUBLIC RECORD INCLUDE YOUR
REPORTING THAT PENCE’S NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER WAS LISTENING
IN ON THE CALL.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> SO YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT
PENCE TOOK TOO MUCH AMBIEN AND
WASN’T AWAKE LONG ENOUGH ON THAT
FLIGHT TO READ THE BRIEFING
PAPER AND THAT PENCE’S NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISER, IT WOULD SEEM
LIKE AN ACTIONABLE OFFENSE IF
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
DOESN’T BRIEF THE VICE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. >> THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME OF
THAT, THAT WAS ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT PARTS OF OUR STORY,
THAT PENCE’S NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER WAS ON THAT CALL, IN THE
SITUATION ROOM LISTENING TO
TRUMP SPEAK WITH ZELENSKY ON
JULY 25th, AND ASTONISHINGLY,
THE OFFICIALS WE TALKED TO SAID
THAT NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER,
KEITH KELLOGG, BASICALLY ASSERTS
HE SAW NOTHING UNUSUAL OR HEARD
NOTHING UNUSUAL, NOTHING JUMPED
OUT AT HIM THAT REQUIRED ANY
KIND OF RESPONSE OR REACTION IN
THAT CALL.
THAT CALL. SO, I MEAN, YOU’RE REALLY CAUGHT
HERE WHEN THESE GUYS STAKE OUT A
POSITION LIKE THAT.
EITHER YOU’RE NOT PAYING
ATTENTION AND KIND OF SLEEPING
THROUGH THIS STUFF, OR YOU’RE SO
INURED AT THIS POINT TO THE KIND
OF OUTRAGEOUS THINGS THAT HAPPEN
EACH AND EVERY DAY THAT YOU’RE
NO LONGER CAPABLE OF
DISTINGUISHING SOMETHING WHEN IT
COMES ALONG AS EGREGIOUS AS
THIS, ASKING THE LEADER OF
ANOTHER COUNTRY TO DIG UP DIRT
ON A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE NO LONGER REGISTERS
WITH YOU AS A PROBLEM.
>> IT’S AN UNBELIEVABLE STATE OF
AFFAIRS.
AFFAIRS. GREG, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS
REPORTING AND SPENDING TIME WITH
US, WE’RE GRATEFUL.
>>> UP NEXT, THERE’S ONE STORY
THAT’S BEEN FLYING UNDER THE