Mike Pence gives a halting and evasive answer when pressed about reports on Trump’s mysterious hospital visit

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A new report from New York Times reporter Michael Shmidt’s book about Donald Trump has refocused attention on the president’s unexpected visit last November to Walter Reed Medical Center, a trip that has never been fully explained.

The White House claimed that the president was simply going in early for the first phase of his annual physical, though as many people pointed out, that’s not a thing. And Schmidt reported that Vice President Mike Pence was told to be on standby to take over the duties of the presidency in case the president went under anesthesia, though reportedly that step was not necessary.

Fox News host Bret Baier brought up the reporting Tuesday night during an interview with Pence, seeming to catch the vice president off-guard. Pence clearly wanted to avoid answering the question, and when pinned down, claimed he didn’t “recall” being on “standby” — extremely evasive language that suggests he may be relying on technicalities to justify essentially lying to the public. Continue reading.