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Pence Visits Charlottesville and Signs Heather Heyer Memorial


Former Vice President Mike Pence visited the Heather Heyer memorial in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Tuesday.

Heyer was killed while protesting against the Unite the Right rally in 2017.

The former VP’s aide Marc Short told CBS News reporter Robert Costa that Pence “took a moment today to go down and visit the mall where Heather Heyer was slain, and to sign the wall, where it’s a public plaque in honor of her life and memory.”

Pence is in Charlottesville to deliver a speech at the University of Virginia.

Wall Street Journal reporter Michael C. Bender wrote in his book “Frankly We Did Win This Election’: The Inside Story of How Donald Trump Lost,” that Pence was dissatisfied with then-President Donald Trump’s reaction to the rally.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides — on many sides,” Trump had said.

According to the book, Gary Cohn, who was the director of the National Economic Council, unloaded on Trump for not condemning the rally hard enough.

Bender said that nobody stood with Cohn at the time, including Pence, but after the exchange the VP went to his office and said, “I’m proud of you.”

Last month, Pence suggested that he may consider running for president in 2024.

Speaking to Maria Bartiromo on Mornings With Maria, Pence said that “at the right time, my family and I will reflect and consider how we might participate in that process.”

Bartiromo had asked the former VP if a run was something he was considering.

“All of my focus right now is on 2022,” Pence replied. “I think we have a historic opportunity to reclaim majorities in the House and Senate, to elect great Republican governors around America and, in 2023, I’m confident the Republican Party will nominate a candidate who will be the next President of the United States of America and at the right time, my family and I will reflect and consider how we might participate in that process.”

“But now more than ever with war in Europe and with an administration seemingly intent on weakening our country, driving our nation toward a European-style welfare state, we need strong Republican majorities on Capitol Hill and strong Republican governors, and that’s what we are going to work to achieve,” he added.

Appearing on the show from Israel, Pence also asserted that the “time has come to sanction all oil and energy exports from Russia.” He claimed that an international embargo would “bring the kind of pressure that we must bring to bear if we hope to stop this mindless, senseless Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

The day before the Fox Business interview, Axios reported that Pence’s advocacy organization, Advancing American Freedom, plans to spend $10 million on TV ads targeting 16 vulnerable House Democrats on energy policy and Ukraine.

“Pence contrasted himself against Trump last week, slamming the GOP’s ‘apologists’ for Putin. Now he’s using the Russian invasion to trash Democrats,” the report noted.

According to YouGov tracking, Pence is currently liked by only 28 percent of voters.

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