Mike Pence Archives - News Now Warsaw https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/tag/mike-pence/ Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:55:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Braun’s second legislative session — MIA or covert success? https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/brauns-second-legislative-session-mia-or-covert-success/ Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:53:33 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=127682 By Niki Kelly
Indiana Capital Chronicle

Gov. Mike Braun appears to have had a quiet legislative session — his second since taking office — but his cabinet leaders were working behind the scenes on several key bills.

He certainly wasn’t as active in public as some former governors. For instance, Govs. Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence laid out ambitious, specific agenda items — from leasing the Indiana Toll Road and embracing daylight-saving time to expanding Medicaid and passing a 10-year roads plan.

Braun, meanwhile, shouted out a few key bills introduced by legislators during his January State of the State address and issued a high-level list of policy goals as his agenda.

They included affordable housing, lowering electric rates and getting tough on crime.

“I’m not in a lot of those meetings, but it doesn’t feel like he was very involved,” House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta said after the legislative session adjourned Friday. “I don’t know if he just thought it was a short session, not a budget year, maybe he didn’t think he would have to be. But I did not necessarily see where he was involved too much this session.”

Former Republican state lawmaker Mike Murphy, who served under multiple governors, theorized that Braun’s push for a new congressional map that failed in December took his focus off the short session.

“Maybe he didn’t have time to put together a cohesive agenda, because generally, I think his philosophy and his vision is not far removed at all. I think it’s kind of pretty closely in line with the General Assembly,” Murphy said.

But Murphy acknowledged every governor has their own approach and the end results are what matters.

Top GOP legislative leaders say Braun had weekly meetings with key lawmakers and his cabinet secretaries were active on dozens of agency bills.

Mitch Roob, head of the Family and Social Services Administration, regularly appeared on bills impacting Medicaid; Education Secretary Katie Jenner pushed to limit cellphone and social media distractions; and State Business Affairs Secretary Mike Speedy supported an immigration crackdown bill.

“I think they kind of laid out in the State of the State his priorities, like House Bill 1001 and other bills that we worked on this session, 1002 and Senate Bill 1,” House Speaker Todd Huston said. “He keeps track and makes sure things cross the finish line.”

House Bill 1001 targeted ways to reduce housing costs by limiting local regulatory and zoning rules, while House Bill 1002 established a new way of ratemaking for utilities that includes performance metrics on affordability. Senate Bill 1 tightened eligibility for Medicaid and SNAP programs.

But Braun Chief of Staff Josh Kelley said there was much more to the governor’s legislative focus.

He said the office was working with lawmakers going back to last summer to find lawmakers to carry key policy efforts.

He pointed to dozens of successes — 19 of 23 associated agenda bills and 32 of 35 agency bills. One of those was a bill deregulating the Indiana Department of Environmental Management that environmentalists decried.

“Our agency bills were pretty robust. I mean, obviously the IDEM bill is going to be one of the most substantial kind of deregulatory bills that we’ve seen in a long time,” Kelley said.

Other successes included:

  • House Bill 1003 – a reduction in state boards and commissions
  • Senate Bill 179 – a move to have the Indiana Department of Transportation take over environmental reviews for projects.
  • Senate Joint Resolution 1 – a constitutional amendment allowing judges to deny bail for public safety reasons.
  • House Bill 1343 – a National Guard agency bill that included changes to the military relief fund and the additional of a military policing unit.

A number of issues rose to the forefront during the session, as well — namely a move to lure the Chicago Bears, and Braun took a lead role on that effort.

There were a few failures on the list too — allowing the Hoosier Lottery to offer tickets and interactive games online; further regulating nonprofit hospitals and tort reform.

Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, said leaders within Braun’s administration were “very helpful in trying to figure out how” they would implement her ambitious immigration proposal, Senate Enrolled Act 76.

Provisions involving federal immigration detainer requests were developed with input from Department of Correction Commissioner Lloyd Arnold, for instance, while Speedy weighed in on a crackdown on businesses with unauthorized workers. Mitch Roob helped work though reporting requirements targeting non-citizen use of social safety nets.

“It was a great collaborative process with the executive branch,” Brown said. “And, you know, I give kudos to Governor Braun and his team, because, you know, they didn’t bring this bill to me — I started it almost a year ago — but they … put their people out there to help if they could.”

She said she was “really impressed with how responsive” administration leaders were, noting, “I don’t expect the head of the department, you know, the secretary or the commissioner, to … be the one responding. But they are more than willing to answer your questions, or make sure they get you to the person who can.”

House Education Committee Chair Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, said the governor’s office has been regularly engaged with his panel this session and that his primary contact within Braun’s administration has been Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, “who I meet with once a week, maybe more.”

Behning, who has served in the General Assembly since 1992, said that level of contact isn’t new compared to past administrations. Under former Gov. Eric Holcomb, such meetings were “consistent, too.” He emphasized a long‑standing pattern of working through a liaison from the governor’s team when crafting key education measures.

On recent policy priorities, Behning highlighted social media legislation as a top focus for Braun’s team.

“Social media has been something that he was at least very supportive of. Definitely want to get [it] across,” he said, adding that two agency bills — Senate Bill 199 and House Bill 1266 — were “definitely big priorities” for the administration.

Language to restrict social media access for Hoosiers under age 16 was ultimately moved and approved in House Bill 1408.

House Republican Floor Leader Matt Lehman, of Berne, called the entire session odd.

“I mean, you hit the ground in January the first day you’re here … having multiple committee hearings. And so, I think we’ve all just kind of been almost a little bit of running from behind playing catch up. So, I think that’s probably true, too, of all the input coming from stakeholders, including probably the governor’s office,” he said. “I think overall, it’s not been a typical year by any means, but it’s been probably a typical year in how much we’ve kind of engaged with the second floor.”

ICC reporters Tom Davies, Casey Smith and Leslie Bonilla Muñiz contributed to this report.

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

The post Braun’s second legislative session — MIA or covert success? appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> By Niki Kelly
Indiana Capital Chronicle

Gov. Mike Braun appears to have had a quiet legislative session — his second since taking office — but his cabinet leaders were working behind the scenes on several key bills.

He certainly wasn’t as active in public as some former governors. For instance, Govs. Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence laid out ambitious, specific agenda items — from leasing the Indiana Toll Road and embracing daylight-saving time to expanding Medicaid and passing a 10-year roads plan.

Braun, meanwhile, shouted out a few key bills introduced by legislators during his January State of the State address and issued a high-level list of policy goals as his agenda.

They included affordable housing, lowering electric rates and getting tough on crime.

“I’m not in a lot of those meetings, but it doesn’t feel like he was very involved,” House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta said after the legislative session adjourned Friday. “I don’t know if he just thought it was a short session, not a budget year, maybe he didn’t think he would have to be. But I did not necessarily see where he was involved too much this session.”

Former Republican state lawmaker Mike Murphy, who served under multiple governors, theorized that Braun’s push for a new congressional map that failed in December took his focus off the short session.

“Maybe he didn’t have time to put together a cohesive agenda, because generally, I think his philosophy and his vision is not far removed at all. I think it’s kind of pretty closely in line with the General Assembly,” Murphy said.

But Murphy acknowledged every governor has their own approach and the end results are what matters.

Top GOP legislative leaders say Braun had weekly meetings with key lawmakers and his cabinet secretaries were active on dozens of agency bills.

Mitch Roob, head of the Family and Social Services Administration, regularly appeared on bills impacting Medicaid; Education Secretary Katie Jenner pushed to limit cellphone and social media distractions; and State Business Affairs Secretary Mike Speedy supported an immigration crackdown bill.

“I think they kind of laid out in the State of the State his priorities, like House Bill 1001 and other bills that we worked on this session, 1002 and Senate Bill 1,” House Speaker Todd Huston said. “He keeps track and makes sure things cross the finish line.”

House Bill 1001 targeted ways to reduce housing costs by limiting local regulatory and zoning rules, while House Bill 1002 established a new way of ratemaking for utilities that includes performance metrics on affordability. Senate Bill 1 tightened eligibility for Medicaid and SNAP programs.

But Braun Chief of Staff Josh Kelley said there was much more to the governor’s legislative focus.

He said the office was working with lawmakers going back to last summer to find lawmakers to carry key policy efforts.

He pointed to dozens of successes — 19 of 23 associated agenda bills and 32 of 35 agency bills. One of those was a bill deregulating the Indiana Department of Environmental Management that environmentalists decried.

“Our agency bills were pretty robust. I mean, obviously the IDEM bill is going to be one of the most substantial kind of deregulatory bills that we’ve seen in a long time,” Kelley said.

Other successes included:

  • House Bill 1003 – a reduction in state boards and commissions
  • Senate Bill 179 – a move to have the Indiana Department of Transportation take over environmental reviews for projects.
  • Senate Joint Resolution 1 – a constitutional amendment allowing judges to deny bail for public safety reasons.
  • House Bill 1343 – a National Guard agency bill that included changes to the military relief fund and the additional of a military policing unit.

A number of issues rose to the forefront during the session, as well — namely a move to lure the Chicago Bears, and Braun took a lead role on that effort.

There were a few failures on the list too — allowing the Hoosier Lottery to offer tickets and interactive games online; further regulating nonprofit hospitals and tort reform.

Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, said leaders within Braun’s administration were “very helpful in trying to figure out how” they would implement her ambitious immigration proposal, Senate Enrolled Act 76.

Provisions involving federal immigration detainer requests were developed with input from Department of Correction Commissioner Lloyd Arnold, for instance, while Speedy weighed in on a crackdown on businesses with unauthorized workers. Mitch Roob helped work though reporting requirements targeting non-citizen use of social safety nets.

“It was a great collaborative process with the executive branch,” Brown said. “And, you know, I give kudos to Governor Braun and his team, because, you know, they didn’t bring this bill to me — I started it almost a year ago — but they … put their people out there to help if they could.”

She said she was “really impressed with how responsive” administration leaders were, noting, “I don’t expect the head of the department, you know, the secretary or the commissioner, to … be the one responding. But they are more than willing to answer your questions, or make sure they get you to the person who can.”

House Education Committee Chair Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, said the governor’s office has been regularly engaged with his panel this session and that his primary contact within Braun’s administration has been Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, “who I meet with once a week, maybe more.”

Behning, who has served in the General Assembly since 1992, said that level of contact isn’t new compared to past administrations. Under former Gov. Eric Holcomb, such meetings were “consistent, too.” He emphasized a long‑standing pattern of working through a liaison from the governor’s team when crafting key education measures.

On recent policy priorities, Behning highlighted social media legislation as a top focus for Braun’s team.

“Social media has been something that he was at least very supportive of. Definitely want to get [it] across,” he said, adding that two agency bills — Senate Bill 199 and House Bill 1266 — were “definitely big priorities” for the administration.

Language to restrict social media access for Hoosiers under age 16 was ultimately moved and approved in House Bill 1408.

House Republican Floor Leader Matt Lehman, of Berne, called the entire session odd.

“I mean, you hit the ground in January the first day you’re here … having multiple committee hearings. And so, I think we’ve all just kind of been almost a little bit of running from behind playing catch up. So, I think that’s probably true, too, of all the input coming from stakeholders, including probably the governor’s office,” he said. “I think overall, it’s not been a typical year by any means, but it’s been probably a typical year in how much we’ve kind of engaged with the second floor.”

ICC reporters Tom Davies, Casey Smith and Leslie Bonilla Muñiz contributed to this report.

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

The post Braun’s second legislative session — MIA or covert success? appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-02-073948.png Pence opposes RFK nomination to head Health and Human Services https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/pence-opposes-rfk-nomination-to-head-health-and-human-services/ Sat, 16 Nov 2024 14:31:04 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=101781 Donnie Burgess
Network Indiana

WASHINGTON — If you're keeping track of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks, you may have heard he wants Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

One former Hoosier politician strongly opposes RFK Jr.'s nomination: Trump's former Vice-President.

Former Vice-President and Indiana governor Mike Pence said in a Friday statement through the Advancing American Freedom Foundation that Kennedy's career does not align with the pro-life standards set by Republicans and the previous Trump-Pence administration.

"For the majority of his career, RFK Jr. has defended abortion on demand during all nine months of pregnancy, supports overturning the Dobbs decision and has called for legislation to codify Roe v Wade. If confirmed, RFK, Jr. would be the most pro-abortion Republican-appointed secretary of HHS in modern history. The pro-life movement has always looked to the Republican party to stand for life, to affirm an unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed," Pence said in the statement.

President-elect Trump himself has somewhat distanced himself from the abortion issue.

Trump clarified earlier this year that he does not support a federal abortion ban and would support taxpayer-funded in-vitro fertilization treatments.

Vice-President-elect J.D. Vance has also distanced himself from the abortion issue out of frustration, saying in October, "I think the best way is to return it to the voters in the states."

Trump believes RFK Jr. would be best served to "go after Big Food and Big Pharma."

The post Pence opposes RFK nomination to head Health and Human Services appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> Donnie Burgess
Network Indiana

WASHINGTON — If you’re keeping track of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, you may have heard he wants Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

One former Hoosier politician strongly opposes RFK Jr.’s nomination: Trump’s former Vice-President.

Former Vice-President and Indiana governor Mike Pence said in a Friday statement through the Advancing American Freedom Foundation that Kennedy’s career does not align with the pro-life standards set by Republicans and the previous Trump-Pence administration.

“For the majority of his career, RFK Jr. has defended abortion on demand during all nine months of pregnancy, supports overturning the Dobbs decision and has called for legislation to codify Roe v Wade. If confirmed, RFK, Jr. would be the most pro-abortion Republican-appointed secretary of HHS in modern history. The pro-life movement has always looked to the Republican party to stand for life, to affirm an unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed,” Pence said in the statement.

President-elect Trump himself has somewhat distanced himself from the abortion issue.

Trump clarified earlier this year that he does not support a federal abortion ban and would support taxpayer-funded in-vitro fertilization treatments.

Vice-President-elect J.D. Vance has also distanced himself from the abortion issue out of frustration, saying in October, “I think the best way is to return it to the voters in the states.”

Trump believes RFK Jr. would be best served to “go after Big Food and Big Pharma.”

The post Pence opposes RFK nomination to head Health and Human Services appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Untitled-design-2024-11-16T092717.442.png Pence ends presidential bid: Not his time, he says https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/pence-ends-presidential-bid-not-his-time-he-says/ Sat, 28 Oct 2023 22:10:50 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=84841 NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday dropped his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, ending his campaign for the White House after struggling to raise money and gain traction in the polls.

“It’s become clear to me: This is not my time,” Pence said at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual gathering in Las Vegas. “So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.”

“We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets,” Pence went on to tell the friendly audience, which reacted with audible surprise to the announcement and gave him multiple standing ovations.

Pence is the first major candidate to leave a race that has been dominated by his former boss-turned-rival, Donald Trump, and his struggles underscore just how much Trump has transformed the party. A former vice president would typically be seen as a formidable challenger in any primary, but Pence has struggled to find a base of support.

He chose the Las Vegas event to announce his decision, in part so he could continue to voice his support for Israel and to make his case one last time as a candidate that the isolationist and populist tides that have swept the Republican Party pose a danger to its future and embolden the nation’s enemies, according to two people close to Pence who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss his thinking.

Pence’s decision, more than two months before the Iowa caucuses that he had staked his campaign on, saves him from accumulating additional debt, as well as the embarrassment of potentially failing to qualify for the third Republican primary debate, on Nov. 8 in Miami.

But his withdrawal is a huge blow for a politician who spent years biding his time as Trump’s most loyal lieutenant, only to be scapegoated during their final days in office when Trump became convinced that Pence somehow had the power to overturn the results of the 2020 election and keep both men in office — a power Pence did not possess.

While Pence averted a constitutional crisis by rejecting the scheme, he drew Trump’s fury, as well as the wrath of many of Trump’s supporters, who still believed his lies about the election and see Pence as a traitor.

Among Trump critics, meanwhile, Pence was seen as an enabler who defended the former president at every turn and refused to criticize even Trump’s most indefensible actions time and again.

As a result, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research from August found that the majority of U.S. adults, 57%, viewed Pence negatively, with only 28% having a positive view.

Throughout his campaign, the former Indiana governor and congressman had insisted that while he was well-known by voters, he was not “known well” and set out to change that with an aggressive schedule that included numerous stops at diners and Pizza Ranch restaurants.

Pence had been betting on Iowa, a state with a large white Evangelical population that has a long history of elevating religious and socially conservative candidates such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Rick Santorum. Pence often campaigned with his wife, Karen, a Christian school teacher, and emphasized his hard-line views on issues such as abortion, which he opposes even in cases when a pregnancy is unviable. He repeatedly called on his fellow candidates to support a minimum 15-week national ban and he pushed to ban drugs used as alternatives to surgical procedures.

He tried to confront head-on his actions on Jan. 6, 2021 , explaining to voters over and over that he had done his constitutional duty that day, knowing full well the political consequences. It was a strategy his campaign and outside supporters believed would help defuse the issue and earn Pence the respect of a majority of Republicans, whom they were were convinced did not agree with Trump’s actions.

But even in Iowa, Pence struggled to gain traction.

He had an equally uphill climb raising money, despite yearslong relationships with donors. Pence ended September with just $1.18 million in the bank and $621,000 in debt, according to his most recent campaign filing. That debt had grown in the weeks since and adding to it would have taken Pence, who is not independently wealthy, years pay off.

The Associated Press first reported earlier this month that people close to Pence had begun to feel that remaining a candidate risked diminishing his long-term standing in the party, given Trump’s dominating lead in the race for the 2024 nomination. While they said Pence could stick it out until the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses if he wanted — campaigning on a shoestring budget and accumulating debt — he would have to consider how that might affect his ability to remain a leading voice in the conservative movement, as he hopes.

Some said that Hamas’ attack on Israel in October, which pushed foreign policy to the forefront of the campaign, had provided Pence a renewed sense of purpose given his warnings throughout the campaign against the growing tide of isolationism in the Republican Party. Pence had argued that he was the race’s most experienced candidate and decried “voices of appeasement” among Republican, arguing they had emboldened groups such as Hamas.

 

The post Pence ends presidential bid: Not his time, he says appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday dropped his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, ending his campaign for the White House after struggling to raise money and gain traction in the polls.

“It’s become clear to me: This is not my time,” Pence said at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual gathering in Las Vegas. “So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.”

“We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets,” Pence went on to tell the friendly audience, which reacted with audible surprise to the announcement and gave him multiple standing ovations.

Pence is the first major candidate to leave a race that has been dominated by his former boss-turned-rival, Donald Trump, and his struggles underscore just how much Trump has transformed the party. A former vice president would typically be seen as a formidable challenger in any primary, but Pence has struggled to find a base of support.

He chose the Las Vegas event to announce his decision, in part so he could continue to voice his support for Israel and to make his case one last time as a candidate that the isolationist and populist tides that have swept the Republican Party pose a danger to its future and embolden the nation’s enemies, according to two people close to Pence who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss his thinking.

Pence’s decision, more than two months before the Iowa caucuses that he had staked his campaign on, saves him from accumulating additional debt, as well as the embarrassment of potentially failing to qualify for the third Republican primary debate, on Nov. 8 in Miami.

But his withdrawal is a huge blow for a politician who spent years biding his time as Trump’s most loyal lieutenant, only to be scapegoated during their final days in office when Trump became convinced that Pence somehow had the power to overturn the results of the 2020 election and keep both men in office — a power Pence did not possess.

While Pence averted a constitutional crisis by rejecting the scheme, he drew Trump’s fury, as well as the wrath of many of Trump’s supporters, who still believed his lies about the election and see Pence as a traitor.

Among Trump critics, meanwhile, Pence was seen as an enabler who defended the former president at every turn and refused to criticize even Trump’s most indefensible actions time and again.

As a result, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research from August found that the majority of U.S. adults, 57%, viewed Pence negatively, with only 28% having a positive view.

Throughout his campaign, the former Indiana governor and congressman had insisted that while he was well-known by voters, he was not “known well” and set out to change that with an aggressive schedule that included numerous stops at diners and Pizza Ranch restaurants.

Pence had been betting on Iowa, a state with a large white Evangelical population that has a long history of elevating religious and socially conservative candidates such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Rick Santorum. Pence often campaigned with his wife, Karen, a Christian school teacher, and emphasized his hard-line views on issues such as abortion, which he opposes even in cases when a pregnancy is unviable. He repeatedly called on his fellow candidates to support a minimum 15-week national ban and he pushed to ban drugs used as alternatives to surgical procedures.

He tried to confront head-on his actions on Jan. 6, 2021 , explaining to voters over and over that he had done his constitutional duty that day, knowing full well the political consequences. It was a strategy his campaign and outside supporters believed would help defuse the issue and earn Pence the respect of a majority of Republicans, whom they were were convinced did not agree with Trump’s actions.

But even in Iowa, Pence struggled to gain traction.

He had an equally uphill climb raising money, despite yearslong relationships with donors. Pence ended September with just $1.18 million in the bank and $621,000 in debt, according to his most recent campaign filing. That debt had grown in the weeks since and adding to it would have taken Pence, who is not independently wealthy, years pay off.

The Associated Press first reported earlier this month that people close to Pence had begun to feel that remaining a candidate risked diminishing his long-term standing in the party, given Trump’s dominating lead in the race for the 2024 nomination. While they said Pence could stick it out until the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses if he wanted — campaigning on a shoestring budget and accumulating debt — he would have to consider how that might affect his ability to remain a leading voice in the conservative movement, as he hopes.

Some said that Hamas’ attack on Israel in October, which pushed foreign policy to the forefront of the campaign, had provided Pence a renewed sense of purpose given his warnings throughout the campaign against the growing tide of isolationism in the Republican Party. Pence had argued that he was the race’s most experienced candidate and decried “voices of appeasement” among Republican, arguing they had emboldened groups such as Hamas.

 

The post Pence ends presidential bid: Not his time, he says appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-28-180503.png John Rust significantly self-funding his race against Jim Banks; Pence struggling in Presidential contest https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/john-rust-significantly-self-funding-his-race-against-jim-banks-pence-struggling-in-presidential-contest/ Tue, 17 Oct 2023 13:20:54 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=84362 By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — U.S. Senate candidate John Rust gave big to his own campaign during the third quarter, which he says is a sign that he won’t be propped up by political action committees.

Rust, an openly gay Hoosier running as a Republican, has contributed $1.6 million since he officially launched his campaign in September, according to his Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing. He chaired his family’s Seymour-based Rose Acre Farms until last month.

He raised only $6,000 in contributions from other individuals, however.

“I’m donating to my campaign rather than loaning to my campaign because I want to work in the United States Senate day one for Hoosiers,” Rust told the Indiana Capital Chronicle on Monday. “I won’t be going there to just work to pay off my campaign debts. It is very important to me that people know I’m in for this race 100% for Hoosiers. And will not be beholden to the Washington swamp like Jim Banks is.”

Although GOP favorite U.S. Rep. Jim Banks was beat on overall fundraising in the third quarter, he continues to amass more individual contributions than Rust and other contenders for Indiana’s open Senate seat in the November election. Between July and September, Banks received $417,419 from outside donors and $185,850 from political committees, like PACs.

Since campaigning began, Banks has also raked in more total donations than any other candidate. He has not made any personal contributions to his own campaign, according to federal campaign finance data.

Four Hoosiers — two Republicans and two Democrats — have launched the most serious bids for the U.S. Senate, with each hoping to take Indiana’s seat currently held by Sen. Mike Braun.

Braun is leaving the position to run for Indiana governor, opening the doors to a slate of potential successors.

But Banks is the party’s favored contender in the race.

The sitting congressman has already earned an endorsement from the Indiana Republican Party for his 2024 U.S. Senate bid — marking the first time in recent history that the state party has made an endorsement before primary elections for an open seat.

Rust, on the other hand, has launched a legal battle to get his name on the ballot. He maintains that a current Indiana law blocking him from the ballot is unconstitutional.

“John Rust is a left-wing millionaire whose longtime Democrat voting record disqualifies him from running as a Republican,” Banks told the Capital Chronicle on Monday. “John Rust is suing the state to let him on the ballot at the same time he’s being sued for price-gouging hardworking Hoosier families during the pandemic. He should pay back the Hoosier families he swindled instead of using his millions to try to buy a Senate seat.”

On the opposing ticket, former state lawmaker and lobbyist Marc Carmichael and Keith Potts, a member of Indianapolis’ City-County Council, are both seeking the Democratic nomination.

A spate of additional candidates from a variety of parties have also registered with the FEC. All candidates will have to gather enough signatures to make the ballot.

The primary election is scheduled for May 7, 2024. The general election will follow on Nov. 5, 2024.

Rust vs. Banks

In Indiana’s Senate race, Banks raised about $603,000 in the third quarter, ending the quarter with close $2.7 million cash on hand, according to his FEC filing. That’s compared to his $1.2 million raised in the first quarter and nearly $1 million during the second quarter.

Banks, who was first elected to Congress in 2016, has raised about $2.78 million over the course of the campaign.

He reported a total of $420,000 in debt during the latest quarter, after reporting just $32,000 in the second quarter.

Rust only filed a statement of organization with the FEC on July 1, just after the reporting period ended.

His self-funding has so far helped the campaign acquire an RV, print promotional materials and purchase billboard advertising. Rust has additionally received one $6,000 donation from his brother, Anthony, according to FEC filings.

“Jim Banks drinks from the chalice of PAC swamp water in DC with both hands,” Rust told the Capital Chronicle. “When career politicians like Mitch McConnell max out donations to Jim Banks, you know he is bought and paid for.”

Carmichael, meanwhile, made his candidacy official in June, while Potts announced his Senate run July 6.

Potts reported nearly $66,000 in donations during the third quarter — more than $62,000 he contributed himself. Carmichael has not reported any donations.

Dr. Valerie McCray, a psychologist from Indianapolis, was the first person to file to run in Indiana’s 2024 U.S. Senate race, in December 2022. But she has not reported any money raised to the FEC.

Pence low on cash

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s presidential campaign raised $3.3 million in the third quarter of this year — of which $150,000 came from his own pocket.

He reported in his latest FEC filing that he has just $1.2 million cash on hand, though, and more than $600,000 in debt.

Pence, also a former Indiana governor, entered the 2024 GOP primary in early June with just three weeks until the end of the second fundraising quarter. His campaign raised just over $1.1 million in that time, while his Committed to America super PAC raised about $2.6 million, according to his federal filing.

The latest numbers fuel ongoing questions about the former vice president’s overall path to the nomination and his ability to reach the donor threshold to qualify for the third GOP debate.

The Pence campaign has yet to confirm how many donors contributed during the third quarter, leaving it uncertain whether he will hit the Republican National Committee’s threshold needed to qualify for the opening debate in Miami on Nov. 8.

Candidates must have 70,000 individual donors and secure 4% of the vote in either two national polls, or one national poll and two polls from separate early states.

Former President Donald Trump, on the other hand, raised $24.5 million from July to September. That’s more than double the amount collected by the campaign of his closest rival in fundraising, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who raised $11.2 million.

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

The post John Rust significantly self-funding his race against Jim Banks; Pence struggling in Presidential contest appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — U.S. Senate candidate John Rust gave big to his own campaign during the third quarter, which he says is a sign that he won’t be propped up by political action committees.

Rust, an openly gay Hoosier running as a Republican, has contributed $1.6 million since he officially launched his campaign in September, according to his Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing. He chaired his family’s Seymour-based Rose Acre Farms until last month.

He raised only $6,000 in contributions from other individuals, however.

“I’m donating to my campaign rather than loaning to my campaign because I want to work in the United States Senate day one for Hoosiers,” Rust told the Indiana Capital Chronicle on Monday. “I won’t be going there to just work to pay off my campaign debts. It is very important to me that people know I’m in for this race 100% for Hoosiers. And will not be beholden to the Washington swamp like Jim Banks is.”

Although GOP favorite U.S. Rep. Jim Banks was beat on overall fundraising in the third quarter, he continues to amass more individual contributions than Rust and other contenders for Indiana’s open Senate seat in the November election. Between July and September, Banks received $417,419 from outside donors and $185,850 from political committees, like PACs.

Since campaigning began, Banks has also raked in more total donations than any other candidate. He has not made any personal contributions to his own campaign, according to federal campaign finance data.

Four Hoosiers — two Republicans and two Democrats — have launched the most serious bids for the U.S. Senate, with each hoping to take Indiana’s seat currently held by Sen. Mike Braun.

Braun is leaving the position to run for Indiana governor, opening the doors to a slate of potential successors.

But Banks is the party’s favored contender in the race.

The sitting congressman has already earned an endorsement from the Indiana Republican Party for his 2024 U.S. Senate bid — marking the first time in recent history that the state party has made an endorsement before primary elections for an open seat.

Rust, on the other hand, has launched a legal battle to get his name on the ballot. He maintains that a current Indiana law blocking him from the ballot is unconstitutional.

“John Rust is a left-wing millionaire whose longtime Democrat voting record disqualifies him from running as a Republican,” Banks told the Capital Chronicle on Monday. “John Rust is suing the state to let him on the ballot at the same time he’s being sued for price-gouging hardworking Hoosier families during the pandemic. He should pay back the Hoosier families he swindled instead of using his millions to try to buy a Senate seat.”

On the opposing ticket, former state lawmaker and lobbyist Marc Carmichael and Keith Potts, a member of Indianapolis’ City-County Council, are both seeking the Democratic nomination.

A spate of additional candidates from a variety of parties have also registered with the FEC. All candidates will have to gather enough signatures to make the ballot.

The primary election is scheduled for May 7, 2024. The general election will follow on Nov. 5, 2024.

Rust vs. Banks

In Indiana’s Senate race, Banks raised about $603,000 in the third quarter, ending the quarter with close $2.7 million cash on hand, according to his FEC filing. That’s compared to his $1.2 million raised in the first quarter and nearly $1 million during the second quarter.

Banks, who was first elected to Congress in 2016, has raised about $2.78 million over the course of the campaign.

He reported a total of $420,000 in debt during the latest quarter, after reporting just $32,000 in the second quarter.

Rust only filed a statement of organization with the FEC on July 1, just after the reporting period ended.

His self-funding has so far helped the campaign acquire an RV, print promotional materials and purchase billboard advertising. Rust has additionally received one $6,000 donation from his brother, Anthony, according to FEC filings.

“Jim Banks drinks from the chalice of PAC swamp water in DC with both hands,” Rust told the Capital Chronicle. “When career politicians like Mitch McConnell max out donations to Jim Banks, you know he is bought and paid for.”

Carmichael, meanwhile, made his candidacy official in June, while Potts announced his Senate run July 6.

Potts reported nearly $66,000 in donations during the third quarter — more than $62,000 he contributed himself. Carmichael has not reported any donations.

Dr. Valerie McCray, a psychologist from Indianapolis, was the first person to file to run in Indiana’s 2024 U.S. Senate race, in December 2022. But she has not reported any money raised to the FEC.

Pence low on cash

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s presidential campaign raised $3.3 million in the third quarter of this year — of which $150,000 came from his own pocket.

He reported in his latest FEC filing that he has just $1.2 million cash on hand, though, and more than $600,000 in debt.

Pence, also a former Indiana governor, entered the 2024 GOP primary in early June with just three weeks until the end of the second fundraising quarter. His campaign raised just over $1.1 million in that time, while his Committed to America super PAC raised about $2.6 million, according to his federal filing.

The latest numbers fuel ongoing questions about the former vice president’s overall path to the nomination and his ability to reach the donor threshold to qualify for the third GOP debate.

The Pence campaign has yet to confirm how many donors contributed during the third quarter, leaving it uncertain whether he will hit the Republican National Committee’s threshold needed to qualify for the opening debate in Miami on Nov. 8.

Candidates must have 70,000 individual donors and secure 4% of the vote in either two national polls, or one national poll and two polls from separate early states.

Former President Donald Trump, on the other hand, raised $24.5 million from July to September. That’s more than double the amount collected by the campaign of his closest rival in fundraising, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who raised $11.2 million.

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

The post John Rust significantly self-funding his race against Jim Banks; Pence struggling in Presidential contest appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-17-091917.png Trump indicted for efforts to overturn 2020 election, block transfer of power https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/trump-indicted-for-efforts-to-overturn-2020-election-block-transfer-of-power/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 23:15:38 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=81172
By Eric Tucker
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump was indicted on felony charges Tuesday for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol, with the Justice Department moving to hold him accountable for an unprecedented effort to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.

The four-count indictment reveals new details about a dark chapter in American history that has already been the subject of exhaustive federal investigations and captivating public hearings. It cites handwritten notes from former Vice President Mike Pence about Trump’s relentless goading to reject the counting of electoral votes. And it accuses Trump and his allies of exploiting the disruption caused by his supporters’ attack on the Capitol to redouble their efforts to spread false claims of election fraud and persuade members of Congress to further delay the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

Even in a year of rapid-succession legal reckonings for Trump, Tuesday’s criminal case, with charges including conspiring to defraud the United States government that he once led, was especially stunning in its allegations that a former president assaulted the underpinnings of democracy in a frantic but ultimately failed effort to cling to power.

“The attack on our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” said special counsel Jack Smith, whose office has spent months investigating Trump. “It was fueled by lies, lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government: the nation’s process of collecting counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”

Trump’s claims of having won the election, said the indictment, were “false, and the Defendant knew they were false. But the defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway — to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, to create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and to erode public faith in the administration of the election.”

The indictment, the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024, follows a long-running federal investigation into schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the transfer of power and keep him in office despite a decisive loss to Biden.

Trump is due in court Thursday before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the first step in a legal process that will play out in a courthouse in between the White House he once controlled and the Capitol his supporters once stormed.

The criminal case comes while Trump leads the field of Republicans vying to capture their party’s presidential nomination. It is sure to be dismissed by the former president and his supporters — and even some of his rivals — as just another politically motivated prosecution. Yet the charges stem from one of the most serious threats to American democracy in modern history.

They focus on the turbulent two months after the November 2020 election in which Trump refused to accept his loss and spread lies that victory was stolen from him. The turmoil resulted in riot at the Capitol riot when Trump loyalists violently broke into the building, attacked police officers and disrupted the congressional counting of electoral votes.

In between the election and the riot, Trump urged local election officials to undo voting results in their states, pressured Pence to halt the certification of electoral votes and falsely claimed that the election had been stolen — a notion repeatedly rejected by judges.

The indictment had been expected since Trump said in mid-July that the Justice Department informed him he was a target of its investigation. A bipartisan House committee that spent months investigating the run-up to the Capitol riot also recommended prosecuting Trump on charges, including aiding an insurrection and obstructing an official proceeding.

The mounting criminal cases against Trump — not to mention multiple civil cases — are unfolding in the heat of the 2024 race. A conviction in this case, or any other, would not prevent Trump from pursuing the White House or serving as president.

In New York, state prosecutors have charged Trump with falsifying business records about a hush money payoff to a porn actor before the 2016 election. The trial begins in late March.

In Florida, the Justice Department has brought more than three dozen felony counts against Trump accusing him of illegally possessing classified documents after leaving the White House and concealing them from the government. The trial begins in late May.

Prosecutors in Georgia are investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to reverse his election loss to Biden there in 2020. The district attorney of Fulton County is expected to announce a decision on whether to indict the former president in early August.

The investigation of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election was led by special counsel Smith. His team of prosecutors questioned senior Trump administration officials, including Pence and top lawyers from the Trump White House, before a grand jury in Washington.

Rudy Giuliani, a Trump lawyer who pursued post-election legal challenges, spoke voluntarily to prosecutors as part of a proffer agreement, in which a person’s statements can’t be used against them in any future criminal case that is brought.

Prosecutors also interviewed election officials in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and elsewhere who came under pressure from Trump and his associates to change voting results in states won by Biden.

Focal points of the Justice Department’s election meddling investigation included the role played by some of Trump’s lawyers, post-election fundraising, a chaotic December 2020 meeting at the White House in which some Trump aides discussed the possibility of seizing voting machines and the enlistment of fake electors to submit certificates to the National Archives and Congress falsely asserting that Trump, not Biden, had won their states’ votes.

Trump has been trying to use the mounting legal troubles to his political advantage, claiming without evidence on social media and at public events that the cases are being driven by Democratic prosecutors out to hurt his 2024 election campaign.

The indictments have helped his campaign raise millions of dollars from supporters, though he raised less after the second than the first, raising questions about whether subsequent charges will have the same impact.

A fundraising committee backing Trump’s candidacy began soliciting contributions just hours after the ex-president revealed he was the focus of the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 investigation, casting it as “just another vicious act of Election Interference on behalf of the Deep State to try and stop the Silent Majority from having a voice in your own country.”

 

The post Trump indicted for efforts to overturn 2020 election, block transfer of power appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]>
By Eric Tucker
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump was indicted on felony charges Tuesday for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol, with the Justice Department moving to hold him accountable for an unprecedented effort to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.

The four-count indictment reveals new details about a dark chapter in American history that has already been the subject of exhaustive federal investigations and captivating public hearings. It cites handwritten notes from former Vice President Mike Pence about Trump’s relentless goading to reject the counting of electoral votes. And it accuses Trump and his allies of exploiting the disruption caused by his supporters’ attack on the Capitol to redouble their efforts to spread false claims of election fraud and persuade members of Congress to further delay the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

Even in a year of rapid-succession legal reckonings for Trump, Tuesday’s criminal case, with charges including conspiring to defraud the United States government that he once led, was especially stunning in its allegations that a former president assaulted the underpinnings of democracy in a frantic but ultimately failed effort to cling to power.

“The attack on our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” said special counsel Jack Smith, whose office has spent months investigating Trump. “It was fueled by lies, lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government: the nation’s process of collecting counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”

Trump’s claims of having won the election, said the indictment, were “false, and the Defendant knew they were false. But the defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway — to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, to create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and to erode public faith in the administration of the election.”

The indictment, the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024, follows a long-running federal investigation into schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the transfer of power and keep him in office despite a decisive loss to Biden.

Trump is due in court Thursday before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the first step in a legal process that will play out in a courthouse in between the White House he once controlled and the Capitol his supporters once stormed.

The criminal case comes while Trump leads the field of Republicans vying to capture their party’s presidential nomination. It is sure to be dismissed by the former president and his supporters — and even some of his rivals — as just another politically motivated prosecution. Yet the charges stem from one of the most serious threats to American democracy in modern history.

They focus on the turbulent two months after the November 2020 election in which Trump refused to accept his loss and spread lies that victory was stolen from him. The turmoil resulted in riot at the Capitol riot when Trump loyalists violently broke into the building, attacked police officers and disrupted the congressional counting of electoral votes.

In between the election and the riot, Trump urged local election officials to undo voting results in their states, pressured Pence to halt the certification of electoral votes and falsely claimed that the election had been stolen — a notion repeatedly rejected by judges.

The indictment had been expected since Trump said in mid-July that the Justice Department informed him he was a target of its investigation. A bipartisan House committee that spent months investigating the run-up to the Capitol riot also recommended prosecuting Trump on charges, including aiding an insurrection and obstructing an official proceeding.

The mounting criminal cases against Trump — not to mention multiple civil cases — are unfolding in the heat of the 2024 race. A conviction in this case, or any other, would not prevent Trump from pursuing the White House or serving as president.

In New York, state prosecutors have charged Trump with falsifying business records about a hush money payoff to a porn actor before the 2016 election. The trial begins in late March.

In Florida, the Justice Department has brought more than three dozen felony counts against Trump accusing him of illegally possessing classified documents after leaving the White House and concealing them from the government. The trial begins in late May.

Prosecutors in Georgia are investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to reverse his election loss to Biden there in 2020. The district attorney of Fulton County is expected to announce a decision on whether to indict the former president in early August.

The investigation of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election was led by special counsel Smith. His team of prosecutors questioned senior Trump administration officials, including Pence and top lawyers from the Trump White House, before a grand jury in Washington.

Rudy Giuliani, a Trump lawyer who pursued post-election legal challenges, spoke voluntarily to prosecutors as part of a proffer agreement, in which a person’s statements can’t be used against them in any future criminal case that is brought.

Prosecutors also interviewed election officials in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and elsewhere who came under pressure from Trump and his associates to change voting results in states won by Biden.

Focal points of the Justice Department’s election meddling investigation included the role played by some of Trump’s lawyers, post-election fundraising, a chaotic December 2020 meeting at the White House in which some Trump aides discussed the possibility of seizing voting machines and the enlistment of fake electors to submit certificates to the National Archives and Congress falsely asserting that Trump, not Biden, had won their states’ votes.

Trump has been trying to use the mounting legal troubles to his political advantage, claiming without evidence on social media and at public events that the cases are being driven by Democratic prosecutors out to hurt his 2024 election campaign.

The indictments have helped his campaign raise millions of dollars from supporters, though he raised less after the second than the first, raising questions about whether subsequent charges will have the same impact.

A fundraising committee backing Trump’s candidacy began soliciting contributions just hours after the ex-president revealed he was the focus of the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 investigation, casting it as “just another vicious act of Election Interference on behalf of the Deep State to try and stop the Silent Majority from having a voice in your own country.”

 

The post Trump indicted for efforts to overturn 2020 election, block transfer of power appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Trump.png Mike Pence launches 2024 bid, criticizes Trump’s Jan. 6 actions https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/mike-pence-launches-2024-bid-criticizes-trumps-jan-6-actions/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 22:23:46 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=79419 By Robin Opsahl
Iowa Capital Chronicle

DES MOINES -- Former Vice President Mike Pence announced his candidacy for president to a crowd at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, focusing on the differences between him and former President Donald Trump, who is also running again in 2024.

While Pence praised the conservative successes he and Trump achieved in office, he said he is challenging the former president because of their “different visions” for the country’s future, and his promise to uphold the Constitution.

During the Capitol insurrection Jan. 6, 2021, Trump “demanded I choose between him and the Constitution,” Pence told the crowd.

“Now voters will be faced with the same,” Pence said. “I chose the Constitution.”

Pence said he stands by his decision to ensure the “peaceful transfer of power.” He said his candidacy is not just to stop Democrats from “trampling” over the Constitution, but to restore the Republican Party to the party that defends the U.S. Constitution.

“The American people must know the leaders in the Republican Party will keep our oaths to support and defend the Constitution, even when it’s not in our political interest,” Pence said. “I believe that anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States. And anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.”

Hitting the trail

Friends, family and supporters from Indiana joined Iowans to officially welcome the former vice president to the 2024 Republican field. It’s far from Pence’s first time this year on Iowa caucus trail – he has been coming to Iowa for several months, including a motorcycle ride and speech Saturday at U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride.” But his event at the community college’s FFA Enrichment Center was his first as a presidential candidate.

Pence is entering a crowded field. In addition to Trump, the former vice president will face at least nine other Republicans including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also entered the race Wednesday.

The Indiana Republican criticized other Republicans for “retreating” on their anti-abortion positions, called for supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion and said entitlement programs like Social Security need urgent reform.

John Paul Strong, an 81-year-old veteran from Des Moines, said he wanted to hear more from Republican presidential candidates on their plans to address veterans’ issues. He said while candidates like DeSantis have brought up military service on the campaign trail, he has not heard plans to address problems with older veterans’ accessing retirement or Social Security benefits, getting care at Veterans’ Affairs hospitals and finding STEM job training.

Strong said he was hopeful Pence could address these issues, pointing to his track record on veterans’ issues as Indiana governor when he supported multiple measures helping veterans enter the workforce. He said Pence has an opportunity to present a strong message that appeals to evangelicals that doesn’t rely on “hate,” contrasting with candidates like former President Donald Trump.

But Pence will have to fight to differentiate himself from the growing field of 2024 GOP candidates, Strong said.

“There are some of these people who are just running to run,” Strong said. “It’s going to be a matter of who drops off, and who can keep holding on.”

While voters at Pence’s kick-off event were supportive of the former vice president’s campaign, he may face difficulty gaining ground with people who still support Trump. Jayne Hawkes, a Des Moines resident, said at a DeSantis campaign event that she’s looking for a “Christian conservative” to support, but said she was not sold on Pence.

“He has to be more bold and outspoken on some things,” Hawkes said. “That’s what I need from him.”

Other critics say Pence may fail to gain traction because he does not have the personality and presence of GOP candidates like Trump. But Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, when introducing Pence, said he looked forward to Iowa voters getting to know Pence. Huston said he read that someone called the former Vice President “mayonnaise on toast.”

“Let me just suggest this: I think you’re gonna get to know the Mike Pence that we know,” Huston said. “… And there’s a lot of Iowa bacon and maybe even some Tabasco sauce on that toast too.”

Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart said Pence will push for banning abortion, cutting Social Security and undermining “our most basic freedoms,” the same as other 2024 candidates.

“Mike Pence has long championed one of the most extreme, anti-middle-class agendas in Congress and Indiana,” Hart said in a statement Wednesday. “Now, after serving as Donald Trump’s wingman in Washington, he’s looking to take the failed Trump-Pence policies that caused average farm income to fall to near 15-year lows and weakened our middle class even further.”

The post Mike Pence launches 2024 bid, criticizes Trump’s Jan. 6 actions appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> By Robin Opsahl
Iowa Capital Chronicle

DES MOINES — Former Vice President Mike Pence announced his candidacy for president to a crowd at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, focusing on the differences between him and former President Donald Trump, who is also running again in 2024.

While Pence praised the conservative successes he and Trump achieved in office, he said he is challenging the former president because of their “different visions” for the country’s future, and his promise to uphold the Constitution.

During the Capitol insurrection Jan. 6, 2021, Trump “demanded I choose between him and the Constitution,” Pence told the crowd.

“Now voters will be faced with the same,” Pence said. “I chose the Constitution.”

Pence said he stands by his decision to ensure the “peaceful transfer of power.” He said his candidacy is not just to stop Democrats from “trampling” over the Constitution, but to restore the Republican Party to the party that defends the U.S. Constitution.

“The American people must know the leaders in the Republican Party will keep our oaths to support and defend the Constitution, even when it’s not in our political interest,” Pence said. “I believe that anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States. And anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.”

Hitting the trail

Friends, family and supporters from Indiana joined Iowans to officially welcome the former vice president to the 2024 Republican field. It’s far from Pence’s first time this year on Iowa caucus trail – he has been coming to Iowa for several months, including a motorcycle ride and speech Saturday at U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride.” But his event at the community college’s FFA Enrichment Center was his first as a presidential candidate.

Pence is entering a crowded field. In addition to Trump, the former vice president will face at least nine other Republicans including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also entered the race Wednesday.

The Indiana Republican criticized other Republicans for “retreating” on their anti-abortion positions, called for supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion and said entitlement programs like Social Security need urgent reform.

John Paul Strong, an 81-year-old veteran from Des Moines, said he wanted to hear more from Republican presidential candidates on their plans to address veterans’ issues. He said while candidates like DeSantis have brought up military service on the campaign trail, he has not heard plans to address problems with older veterans’ accessing retirement or Social Security benefits, getting care at Veterans’ Affairs hospitals and finding STEM job training.

Strong said he was hopeful Pence could address these issues, pointing to his track record on veterans’ issues as Indiana governor when he supported multiple measures helping veterans enter the workforce. He said Pence has an opportunity to present a strong message that appeals to evangelicals that doesn’t rely on “hate,” contrasting with candidates like former President Donald Trump.

But Pence will have to fight to differentiate himself from the growing field of 2024 GOP candidates, Strong said.

“There are some of these people who are just running to run,” Strong said. “It’s going to be a matter of who drops off, and who can keep holding on.”

While voters at Pence’s kick-off event were supportive of the former vice president’s campaign, he may face difficulty gaining ground with people who still support Trump. Jayne Hawkes, a Des Moines resident, said at a DeSantis campaign event that she’s looking for a “Christian conservative” to support, but said she was not sold on Pence.

“He has to be more bold and outspoken on some things,” Hawkes said. “That’s what I need from him.”

Other critics say Pence may fail to gain traction because he does not have the personality and presence of GOP candidates like Trump. But Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, when introducing Pence, said he looked forward to Iowa voters getting to know Pence. Huston said he read that someone called the former Vice President “mayonnaise on toast.”

“Let me just suggest this: I think you’re gonna get to know the Mike Pence that we know,” Huston said. “… And there’s a lot of Iowa bacon and maybe even some Tabasco sauce on that toast too.”

Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart said Pence will push for banning abortion, cutting Social Security and undermining “our most basic freedoms,” the same as other 2024 candidates.

“Mike Pence has long championed one of the most extreme, anti-middle-class agendas in Congress and Indiana,” Hart said in a statement Wednesday. “Now, after serving as Donald Trump’s wingman in Washington, he’s looking to take the failed Trump-Pence policies that caused average farm income to fall to near 15-year lows and weakened our middle class even further.”

The post Mike Pence launches 2024 bid, criticizes Trump’s Jan. 6 actions appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-07-181810.png Trump, Pence address gun rights at NRA convention in Indianapolis https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/trump-pence-address-gun-rights-at-nra-convention-in-indianapolis/ Sat, 15 Apr 2023 11:00:50 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=77485 By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS -- In Donald Trump’s first major public appearance since his historic arrest, the former president evoked his “pro-gun” policies but refrained from delving into his indictment when he spoke at a National Rifle Association (NRA) convention on Friday in Indianapolis.

Trump headlined the annual NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the Indiana Convention Center, where he and other Republican presidential hopefuls spoke to gun owners — key conservative constituents.

For Trump, his appearance additionally served as a test to see if he still has the public support of GOP voters, despite his ongoing legal difficulties.

“I will be your loyal friend and fearless leader once again as the 47th President of the United States,” Trump said to an enthusiastic audience. “We’re going to have a very successful election and take back that beautiful White House.”

The NRA held its convention within two weeks of the country’s latest mass shootings, one at a school in Nashville and another at a bank in Louisville. Political pressure on Republicans to support at least some kind of gun control has mounted since the killings.

Democrats admonished Republicans for appearing at the event, arguing that GOP hopefuls showed up “to pledge their undying loyalty to the NRA and the gun lobby.”

“Republicans are going to make it 100% clear to the public that — given the choice between our families and the gun industry — national Republicans are choosing the gun industry again,” he continued,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-CT, during a Democratic National Committee news conference on Thursday.

“The Republican Party continues to put the gun industry and the gunmakers before the safety of our kids and our families. It’s extraordinary, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s infuriating,” he continued.

Trump avoids his arrest

Trump addressed thousands in the NRA audience just ten days after pleading not guilty in New York City to charges of falsifying business records in order to cover up hush money payments and campaign finance violations. That made him the first U.S. president — former or current — to be charged with a crime.

Although Trump gave a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida hours after his arraignment in New York, Friday’s appearance at the NRA-ILA conference was his first public showing.

“I promised I would save the Second Amendment, and we’re going to save it for a long time to come — forever, as far as I’m concerned,” he said shortly after taking the stage, following a minutes-long standing ovation from the crowd.

Trump has consistently supported NRA-backed gun policies. He credited the group with giving him a significant political boost during his first presidential campaign in 2016.

But former Vice President Mike Pence was met with a mix of boos and hesitant applause as he took the stage a few hours earlier.

The former Indiana governor has found himself in an interesting position — he’s expected to testify before a grand jury soon about his dealings with Trump in relation to the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

 

While he said previously that Trump was wrong to demand electoral votes favorable to Biden be thrown out, Pence has otherwise defended Trump amid the multiple, ongoing investigations of the ex-president.

Pence did not comment about the insurrection on Friday, but instead focussed his remarks on his commitment to Second Amendment rights, securing the U.S. border and fighting “left-wing dogma.”

“It’s time we take a stand for ‘America the free,’” Pence said. “We will kick these liberal meddlers out of our gun stores and out of your lives.”

He also commented on recent mass shootings, which he largely attributed to “trans activists” and individuals with “mental health challenges.” He emphasized that those who engage in such shootings should face the death penalty “in a matter of months” after the crime.

“The answer to mass shootings is not fewer guns, but more institutional mental health in this country,” he said. “These people shouldn’t be in prison because they never should have been allowed out on the streets to commit the crimes they committed.”

Authorities in the Nashville shooting have identified the shooter as a woman who used male pronouns but have not shared any evidence linking Audrey Hale’s gender identity to the motive for the attack.

More GOP speakers rally for gun rights

Other presidential aspirants looking to bolster their political profiles addressed gun owners, too.

Prospective rivals like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — all of whom spoke via video to the NRA — doubled down on their right-to-firearms stances.

“There are some today who see the Second Amendment as an outdated bill, reminiscent of a bygone era,” said DeSantis, who has yet to formally declare his 2024 candidacy. “It is no coincidence that throughout history, one of the first things that authoritarian regimes have sought to do is to disarm their own citizens.”

Businessman and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy held that self defense through the use of firearms “is not a crime in this country,” and suggested that lawmakers should “ban social media” for kids before attempting to “take guns away.” He further promised to “shut down” the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) if elected president.

Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, earlier called on Trump to suspend his campaign because of the indictment. He said Friday that he will “continue to stand” for the NRA and Second Amendment but did not speak about Trump.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan — three other NRA speakers — are also considering presidential bids.

“Why do the liberals of Joe Biden want our guns? Because it will make it easier for them to infringe on our other rights,” Noem said Friday in Indianapolis. “Because each of you … and the NRA, because we have successfully held off federal legislation that would infringe on our fundamental, constitutional right to bear arms, we have kept our rights from being crushed.”

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

The post Trump, Pence address gun rights at NRA convention in Indianapolis appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — In Donald Trump’s first major public appearance since his historic arrest, the former president evoked his “pro-gun” policies but refrained from delving into his indictment when he spoke at a National Rifle Association (NRA) convention on Friday in Indianapolis.

Trump headlined the annual NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the Indiana Convention Center, where he and other Republican presidential hopefuls spoke to gun owners — key conservative constituents.

For Trump, his appearance additionally served as a test to see if he still has the public support of GOP voters, despite his ongoing legal difficulties.

“I will be your loyal friend and fearless leader once again as the 47th President of the United States,” Trump said to an enthusiastic audience. “We’re going to have a very successful election and take back that beautiful White House.”

The NRA held its convention within two weeks of the country’s latest mass shootings, one at a school in Nashville and another at a bank in Louisville. Political pressure on Republicans to support at least some kind of gun control has mounted since the killings.

Democrats admonished Republicans for appearing at the event, arguing that GOP hopefuls showed up “to pledge their undying loyalty to the NRA and the gun lobby.”

“Republicans are going to make it 100% clear to the public that — given the choice between our families and the gun industry — national Republicans are choosing the gun industry again,” he continued,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-CT, during a Democratic National Committee news conference on Thursday.

“The Republican Party continues to put the gun industry and the gunmakers before the safety of our kids and our families. It’s extraordinary, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s infuriating,” he continued.

Trump avoids his arrest

Trump addressed thousands in the NRA audience just ten days after pleading not guilty in New York City to charges of falsifying business records in order to cover up hush money payments and campaign finance violations. That made him the first U.S. president — former or current — to be charged with a crime.

Although Trump gave a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida hours after his arraignment in New York, Friday’s appearance at the NRA-ILA conference was his first public showing.

“I promised I would save the Second Amendment, and we’re going to save it for a long time to come — forever, as far as I’m concerned,” he said shortly after taking the stage, following a minutes-long standing ovation from the crowd.

Trump has consistently supported NRA-backed gun policies. He credited the group with giving him a significant political boost during his first presidential campaign in 2016.

But former Vice President Mike Pence was met with a mix of boos and hesitant applause as he took the stage a few hours earlier.

The former Indiana governor has found himself in an interesting position — he’s expected to testify before a grand jury soon about his dealings with Trump in relation to the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

 

While he said previously that Trump was wrong to demand electoral votes favorable to Biden be thrown out, Pence has otherwise defended Trump amid the multiple, ongoing investigations of the ex-president.

Pence did not comment about the insurrection on Friday, but instead focussed his remarks on his commitment to Second Amendment rights, securing the U.S. border and fighting “left-wing dogma.”

“It’s time we take a stand for ‘America the free,’” Pence said. “We will kick these liberal meddlers out of our gun stores and out of your lives.”

He also commented on recent mass shootings, which he largely attributed to “trans activists” and individuals with “mental health challenges.” He emphasized that those who engage in such shootings should face the death penalty “in a matter of months” after the crime.

“The answer to mass shootings is not fewer guns, but more institutional mental health in this country,” he said. “These people shouldn’t be in prison because they never should have been allowed out on the streets to commit the crimes they committed.”

Authorities in the Nashville shooting have identified the shooter as a woman who used male pronouns but have not shared any evidence linking Audrey Hale’s gender identity to the motive for the attack.

More GOP speakers rally for gun rights

Other presidential aspirants looking to bolster their political profiles addressed gun owners, too.

Prospective rivals like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — all of whom spoke via video to the NRA — doubled down on their right-to-firearms stances.

“There are some today who see the Second Amendment as an outdated bill, reminiscent of a bygone era,” said DeSantis, who has yet to formally declare his 2024 candidacy. “It is no coincidence that throughout history, one of the first things that authoritarian regimes have sought to do is to disarm their own citizens.”

Businessman and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy held that self defense through the use of firearms “is not a crime in this country,” and suggested that lawmakers should “ban social media” for kids before attempting to “take guns away.” He further promised to “shut down” the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) if elected president.

Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, earlier called on Trump to suspend his campaign because of the indictment. He said Friday that he will “continue to stand” for the NRA and Second Amendment but did not speak about Trump.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan — three other NRA speakers — are also considering presidential bids.

“Why do the liberals of Joe Biden want our guns? Because it will make it easier for them to infringe on our other rights,” Noem said Friday in Indianapolis. “Because each of you … and the NRA, because we have successfully held off federal legislation that would infringe on our fundamental, constitutional right to bear arms, we have kept our rights from being crushed.”

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

The post Trump, Pence address gun rights at NRA convention in Indianapolis appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-15-065358.png Indiana Republican leaders react to Trump’s indictment https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/indiana-republican-leaders-react-to-trumps-indictment/ Fri, 31 Mar 2023 11:56:48 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=76932 Sascha Nixon
Network Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS -- Hoosier leaders are responding to former President Donald Trump’s indictment on criminal charges.

Former Vice President and Indiana Governor Mike Pence – who has publicly disagreed with Trump on certain issues in recent months – called the indictment “unprecedented,” “an outrage,” and a “political prosecution.”

He Tweeted, “The American people will look at this and see it as one more example of the criminalization of politics in this country.”

Others seemed to agree that this decision is a “political prosecution.” Senator Mike Braun released a statement Thursday, in which he said, “Our justice system is being abused as a political weapon….”

Congressman Rudy Yakym echoed similar sentiments, saying, “This deeply misguided decision will only further erode trust in our core civic institutions and electoral system.”

Representative Dr. Larry Bucshon said, “This indictment risks damaging the very fabric of our country.”

Both men felt the decision would make more sense in “banana republics” and “third world countries,” respectively.

Congressman Jim Banks seemingly summarized his opinion on the matter by Tweeting, “This isn’t just an indictment of President Trump, it’s an attempt to intimidate anyone who goes against the Left’s radical regime!”

However, not every Hoosier leader was opposed to the legal action. Representative André Carson said, “I have always maintained that no one – not even a former president – is above the law.”

Kip Tew – a former Indiana Democratic Party chair – told WISH TV, “I would just hope that supporters of Donald Trump will withhold judgment, wait until all the facts come out… I hope people with open minds will take a look and say, you know, maybe it’s time for the country to move on from Donald Trump because all he is is a drama queen 24/7.”

This indictment follows suspicion of a “hush money” payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels – who says she had an affair with the former President – among other concerns. The charges against him have not been enumerated, though, as they are still sealed.

While it is not clear yet how this will impact his political future, some think it will only make him more popular with his supporters, turning him into a “martyr,” of sorts. Many of his opponents, though, would like the indictment to signal the end of his political ambitions.

The post Indiana Republican leaders react to Trump’s indictment appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> Sascha Nixon
Network Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosier leaders are responding to former President Donald Trump’s indictment on criminal charges.

Former Vice President and Indiana Governor Mike Pence – who has publicly disagreed with Trump on certain issues in recent months – called the indictment “unprecedented,” “an outrage,” and a “political prosecution.”

He Tweeted, “The American people will look at this and see it as one more example of the criminalization of politics in this country.”

Others seemed to agree that this decision is a “political prosecution.” Senator Mike Braun released a statement Thursday, in which he said, “Our justice system is being abused as a political weapon….”

Congressman Rudy Yakym echoed similar sentiments, saying, “This deeply misguided decision will only further erode trust in our core civic institutions and electoral system.”

Representative Dr. Larry Bucshon said, “This indictment risks damaging the very fabric of our country.”

Both men felt the decision would make more sense in “banana republics” and “third world countries,” respectively.

Congressman Jim Banks seemingly summarized his opinion on the matter by Tweeting, “This isn’t just an indictment of President Trump, it’s an attempt to intimidate anyone who goes against the Left’s radical regime!”

However, not every Hoosier leader was opposed to the legal action. Representative André Carson said, “I have always maintained that no one – not even a former president – is above the law.”

Kip Tew – a former Indiana Democratic Party chair – told WISH TV, “I would just hope that supporters of Donald Trump will withhold judgment, wait until all the facts come out… I hope people with open minds will take a look and say, you know, maybe it’s time for the country to move on from Donald Trump because all he is is a drama queen 24/7.”

This indictment follows suspicion of a “hush money” payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels – who says she had an affair with the former President – among other concerns. The charges against him have not been enumerated, though, as they are still sealed.

While it is not clear yet how this will impact his political future, some think it will only make him more popular with his supporters, turning him into a “martyr,” of sorts. Many of his opponents, though, would like the indictment to signal the end of his political ambitions.

The post Indiana Republican leaders react to Trump’s indictment appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screenshot-2023-03-31-075352.png Trump, Pence and Braun among speakers at NRA event in Indy https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/trump-pence-and-braun-among-speakers-at-nra-event-in-indy/ Sat, 25 Mar 2023 10:55:03 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=76636 Staff Report 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Donald Trump and Mike Pence are both scheduled to speak at the upcoming NRA convention in Indianapolis.

The Indy Star first reported the former president and vice president’s participation Friday with a link to the NRA’s website which provides details of the April 14  gathering at the Indiana Convention Center.

Other confirmed speakers include U.S. Senator Mike Braun, Gov. Eric Holcomb, NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Admission is free but is limited to NRA members.

The website notes that firearms will not be allowed inside per U.S. Secret Service policies.

The post Trump, Pence and Braun among speakers at NRA event in Indy appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> Staff Report 

INDIANAPOLIS — Donald Trump and Mike Pence are both scheduled to speak at the upcoming NRA convention in Indianapolis.

The Indy Star first reported the former president and vice president’s participation Friday with a link to the NRA’s website which provides details of the April 14  gathering at the Indiana Convention Center.

Other confirmed speakers include U.S. Senator Mike Braun, Gov. Eric Holcomb, NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Admission is free but is limited to NRA members.

The website notes that firearms will not be allowed inside per U.S. Secret Service policies.

The post Trump, Pence and Braun among speakers at NRA event in Indy appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screenshot-2023-03-24-081134.png Classified documents found at Pence’s home, too, his lawyer says https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/classified-documents-found-at-pences-home-too-his-lawyer-says/ Tue, 24 Jan 2023 23:03:51 +0000 https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/?p=74243 NEW YORK (AP) — Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana residence last week, his lawyer says, the latest in a string of recoveries of confidential information from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials.

The records, which were taken into FBI custody, "appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration," Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter to the National Archives shared with The Associated Press.

He said that Pence had been "unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” until a search last week and “understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry.”

The revelation came as the Department of Justice was already investigating the discovery of documents with classification markings in President Joe Biden's home in Delaware and his former Washington office, as well as former President Donald Trump's Florida estate. Democrat Biden has indicated he will seek reelection, Trump is already a declared candidate, and Republican Pence has been exploring a possible 2024 presidential campaign that would put him direct competition against his former boss.

The newest discovery, which was first reported by CNN, thrusts Pence, who had previously insisted that he followed stringent protocols regarding classified documents, into the debate over the handling of secret materials by officials who have served in the highest ranks of government.

Trump is currently under criminal investigation after roughly 300 documents with classified markings, including at the top-secret level, were discovered at Mar-a-Lago. Officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation. Biden is also subject to a special counsel investigation after classified documents from his time as a senator and in the Obama administration were found at his properties.

Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, reacted to the new development on his social media site: “Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!!”

While a very different case, the Pence development could bolster the arguments of Trump and Biden, who have sought to downplay the significance of the discoveries. The presence of secret documents at all three men's homes further underscores the federal government’s unwieldy system for storing and protecting the millions of classified documents it produces every year.

Pence’s lawyer, Jacob, said in his letter that the former vice president had “engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents" to review records stored at his home on Jan. 16 “out of an abundance of caution” amid the uproar over the discovery of documents at Biden's home.

Jacob said the Pence documents with classification markings were immediately secured in a locked safe. According to a follow-up letter from the lawyer dated Jan. 22, FBI agents visited Pence's residence the night of Jan. 19 at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents that had been secured. Pence was in Washington for an event at the time.

A total of four boxes containing copies of administration papers —- two in which “a small number” of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing “courtesy copies of vice presidential papers” — were discovered, according to the letter. Arrangements were made to deliver those boxes to the National Archives Monday.

The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the discovery. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Tuesday, and a lawyer for Pence did not immediately respond to an email seeking elaboration.

Pence told the Associated Press in August that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.

Asked directly if he had retained any such information, he said, “No, not to my knowledge.”

In an interview this month with Fox Business, Pence described a “very formal process” used by his office to handle classified information as well as the steps taken by his lawyers to ensure none was taken with him.

“Before we left the White House, the attorneys on my staff went through all the documents at both the White House and our offices there and at the vice president’s residence to ensure that any documents that needed to be turned over to the National Archives, including classified documents, were turned over. So we went through a very careful process in that regard," Pence said.

On Capitol Hill, members of the Senate intelligence committee expressed incredulity over the mishandling of documents by top U.S. officials.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas noted that classified documents are only moved out of the committee’s offices in locked bags. “In my book, it’s never permissible to take classified documents outside of a secure facility or by some secure means of transport in between those secure facilities,” he said.

House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, a Republican, said he planned to request a formal intelligence review and damage assessment.

“No one is above the law," added Republican Sen. Rick Scott, another potential 2024 candidate. “I don’t know how anybody ends up with classified documents. ... I mean, every classified document I’ve ever seen has a big ‘Classified’ on it."

Meanwhile, some Republicans pressed for a search of former President Barack Obama's personal records.

An Obama spokesperson referred to a 2022 statement from the National Archives that said the agency took control of all of his records after he left office and “is not aware of any missing boxes of presidential records from the Obama administration."

Representatives of former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former Vice President Dick Cheney said all of their classified records had been turned over to NARA upon leaving the White House.

Mike Pompeo, who served the Trump administration as secretary of state and is mulling his own 2024 GOP presidential bid, said during a stop in South Carolina in late August that the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago “was a deeply politicized use of the FBI.”

Asked by AP if he took any classified material with him after leaving the administration, Pompeo replied, “no,” adding, “No one should have classified information out of the appropriate place for classified information, anytime, full stop, period.”

Public records show Pence and his wife, Karen, bought their seven bedroom, 10,300 square foot home in Carmel, Indiana, in May 2021 -- about four months after moving out of the vice president’s residence in Washington. The Indiana property is spread over a five acre lot just north of Indianapolis.

The post Classified documents found at Pence’s home, too, his lawyer says appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> NEW YORK (AP) — Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana residence last week, his lawyer says, the latest in a string of recoveries of confidential information from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials.

The records, which were taken into FBI custody, “appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration,” Pence’s lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in a letter to the National Archives shared with The Associated Press.

He said that Pence had been “unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” until a search last week and “understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry.”

The revelation came as the Department of Justice was already investigating the discovery of documents with classification markings in President Joe Biden’s home in Delaware and his former Washington office, as well as former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. Democrat Biden has indicated he will seek reelection, Trump is already a declared candidate, and Republican Pence has been exploring a possible 2024 presidential campaign that would put him direct competition against his former boss.

The newest discovery, which was first reported by CNN, thrusts Pence, who had previously insisted that he followed stringent protocols regarding classified documents, into the debate over the handling of secret materials by officials who have served in the highest ranks of government.

Trump is currently under criminal investigation after roughly 300 documents with classified markings, including at the top-secret level, were discovered at Mar-a-Lago. Officials are trying to determine whether Trump or anyone else should be charged with illegal possession of those records or with trying to obstruct the months-long criminal investigation. Biden is also subject to a special counsel investigation after classified documents from his time as a senator and in the Obama administration were found at his properties.

Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, reacted to the new development on his social media site: “Mike Pence is an innocent man. He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life. Leave him alone!!!”

While a very different case, the Pence development could bolster the arguments of Trump and Biden, who have sought to downplay the significance of the discoveries. The presence of secret documents at all three men’s homes further underscores the federal government’s unwieldy system for storing and protecting the millions of classified documents it produces every year.

Pence’s lawyer, Jacob, said in his letter that the former vice president had “engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents” to review records stored at his home on Jan. 16 “out of an abundance of caution” amid the uproar over the discovery of documents at Biden’s home.

Jacob said the Pence documents with classification markings were immediately secured in a locked safe. According to a follow-up letter from the lawyer dated Jan. 22, FBI agents visited Pence’s residence the night of Jan. 19 at 9:30 p.m. to collect the documents that had been secured. Pence was in Washington for an event at the time.

A total of four boxes containing copies of administration papers —- two in which “a small number” of papers bearing classified markings were found, and two containing “courtesy copies of vice presidential papers” — were discovered, according to the letter. Arrangements were made to deliver those boxes to the National Archives Monday.

The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the discovery. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Tuesday, and a lawyer for Pence did not immediately respond to an email seeking elaboration.

Pence told the Associated Press in August that he did not take any classified information with him when he left office.

Asked directly if he had retained any such information, he said, “No, not to my knowledge.”

In an interview this month with Fox Business, Pence described a “very formal process” used by his office to handle classified information as well as the steps taken by his lawyers to ensure none was taken with him.

“Before we left the White House, the attorneys on my staff went through all the documents at both the White House and our offices there and at the vice president’s residence to ensure that any documents that needed to be turned over to the National Archives, including classified documents, were turned over. So we went through a very careful process in that regard,” Pence said.

On Capitol Hill, members of the Senate intelligence committee expressed incredulity over the mishandling of documents by top U.S. officials.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas noted that classified documents are only moved out of the committee’s offices in locked bags. “In my book, it’s never permissible to take classified documents outside of a secure facility or by some secure means of transport in between those secure facilities,” he said.

House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner, a Republican, said he planned to request a formal intelligence review and damage assessment.

“No one is above the law,” added Republican Sen. Rick Scott, another potential 2024 candidate. “I don’t know how anybody ends up with classified documents. … I mean, every classified document I’ve ever seen has a big ‘Classified’ on it.”

Meanwhile, some Republicans pressed for a search of former President Barack Obama’s personal records.

An Obama spokesperson referred to a 2022 statement from the National Archives that said the agency took control of all of his records after he left office and “is not aware of any missing boxes of presidential records from the Obama administration.”

Representatives of former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former Vice President Dick Cheney said all of their classified records had been turned over to NARA upon leaving the White House.

Mike Pompeo, who served the Trump administration as secretary of state and is mulling his own 2024 GOP presidential bid, said during a stop in South Carolina in late August that the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago “was a deeply politicized use of the FBI.”

Asked by AP if he took any classified material with him after leaving the administration, Pompeo replied, “no,” adding, “No one should have classified information out of the appropriate place for classified information, anytime, full stop, period.”

Public records show Pence and his wife, Karen, bought their seven bedroom, 10,300 square foot home in Carmel, Indiana, in May 2021 — about four months after moving out of the vice president’s residence in Washington. The Indiana property is spread over a five acre lot just north of Indianapolis.

The post Classified documents found at Pence’s home, too, his lawyer says appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

]]> https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/mike-pence-archives-Edited-Edited.png