Mike Pence Won’t Say if He Believes President Trump’s Wiretapping Claim

President Donald Trump ignited controversy last weekend when he tweeted that then-President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign. But his top elected deputy, Vice President Mike Pence, is not explicitly backing him on that unfounded and widely disputed accusation.

In an interview with Cleveland television WEWS, Pence declined to answer directly when asked if he believed his boss’ claim.

“What I can say is that the President and our Administration are very confident that the congressional committees in the House and Senate that are examining issues surrounding the last election, the run-up to the last election, will do that in a thorough and equitable way,” he told WEWS.

Pence then pivoted to stressing that the White House’s focus is on domestic policies for job creation and improving health care.

Here is the full transcript of the exchange, courtesy of WEWS Cleveland.

John Kosich: The president has alleged that the former president committed a felony in wiretapping Trump Tower. Yes or no — do you believe that President Obama did that?

Vice President Pence: Well what I can say is that the president and our administration are very confident that the congressional committees in the House and Senate that are examining issues surrounding the last election, the run-up to the last election, will do that in a thorough and equitable way. They’ll look at those issues, they’ll look at other issues that have been raised. But rest assured our focus is right where the American people are focused and that’s on bringing more jobs here to Ohio, creating a better healthcare system built on consumer choice.