Vice President Mike Pence issued a veiled defense of President Donald Trump on Tuesday when asked about whether rhetoric should be toned down following the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue over the weekend.
“Everyone has their own style and there’s strong rhetoric on both sides of the aisle, but I think it’s important that we continue to celebrate and debate the important issues that our country is facing,” Pence said during an interview with Politico Playbook Tuesday. “I think it’s important that we don’t connect the evil acts that we’ve witnessed in Pittsburgh, the horrible attack on the synagogue or the sending of threats of violence and devices through the mail to public figures, its important we don’t connect those acts to the public debate.”
Later, when asked about Trump’s attacks on the media, Pence said he is a defender of the free press, but, raising a White House talking point, said he had issues with the way the media had connected Trump to the Pittsburgh shooting and the attempted mail bombs last week.
