Pressed to identify a specific “factual error” in a new Washington Post report on the Trump Foundation that the Trump campaign has claimed was “peppered with inaccuracies,” Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) came up short.
MSNBC’s Brian Williams on Tuesday asked Donald Trump’s running mate about the Post’s story, which alleged that the real estate mogul used $258,000 from his charity to settle personal legal issues.
“Well, I think what we found is that there is a number of factual errors in that story as there were in previous stories about the Trump Foundation,” Pence said, echoing a campaign statement issued Tuesday evening. “I’m confident they’ll be able to address those and demonstrate that they fully complied with the law.”
Like the statement, Pence then pivoted to discussing the Clinton Foundation.
“To back up quick here for just a minute,” Williams said after Pence finished, “do you know what the factual errors are that the campaign is alleging in the Washington Post story?”
“Well, I think the foundation will be able to lay those out,” Pence said. “There were errors in the previous Washington Post stories, and, you know, look, you know me a while, Brian. I strongly support a free and independent press. People are entitled to ask questions, and I’m sure the Trump Foundation and the Trump family will continue to be able to answer those questions.”
Williams then pointed out that 55 days have passed since Trump held a press conference, and that Trump has broken with years of campaign precedent by refusing to allow the traveling press to join him on his plane.
Pence promised Trump was committed to promoting “transparency.”
Post reporter David Fahrenthold has published a series of investigations into Trump’s charitable foundation, prompting campaign manager Kellyanne Conway to complain Tuesday that he was “a little obsessed with Donald Trump these days.”
Fahrenthold’s other reporting has found that the Trump Foundation has largely used other people’s money to make charitable gifts since 2008, the year he last donated to his own nonprofit.
