Pence says Trump administration has ‘air of corruption’ and GOP must return to ‘high standards’

Detailed summary

The former vice president said the American people cannot overlook the stories and perceptions

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Mike Pence says the Republican Party is going to need to do some serious soul-searching and re-establish its “high standards” after the Trump administration's “air of corruption” has soured the American people, as seen by the midterm blue tsunami.

The former vice president was a guest on Sunday's Meet the Press, where he said the perception that Trump and his family are enriching themselves while he is in office is an issue that many Americans take issue with, but Pence did not out-and-out say Trump has done anything illegal or unethical.

“I think stories about cabinet officials and stories about the family of cabinet officials and the stories of the first family have been troubling to the American people,” Pence told NBC News host Kristen Welker.

He added, “Look, the president was a successful businessman long before he came to be in office and no one begrudges him or the Trump family for continuing to be in business — but a billion-dollar increase to your net worth through cryptocurrency is astounding to Americans.”

Pence was referencing Trump making more than $1.4 billion last year from business dealings in cryptocurrency, but the White House — which has repeatedly emphasized that Trump has placed his businesses in a trust managed by his sons — denied he was profiting from the presidency. The administration has instead said he was a successful investor, like so many others who bought the coins in question.

Nonetheless, Pence says he knows for a fact it is an issue, because as he has traveled the country, supporters tell him that the original 2016 promise from his time as Trump’s No. 2 to “drain the swamp” has failed.

“So, I really do believe, for the Republican Party going forward, it is going to be essential that we return our party to the conservative principles that essentially were synonymous with the Republican Party for 50 years.

Pence also…

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