Mike Pence tried to get GOP leaders to denounce Clinton's 'deplorables' comment, got no takers

Mike Pence tries to rally Republican support on Capitol Hill
(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was on Capitol Hill, acting as an emissary for running mate Donald Trump to rally support from congressional Republicans for the GOP presidential ticket. Many elected Republicans have expressed skepticism of Trump, or are concerned that he will make their own re-election fights harder, and Pence did not appear to have much luck winning over holdouts. He denounced Hillary Clinton's comments that some of Trump's supporters fit in a "basket of deplorables," but, The New York Times notes, "in separate news conferences, House and Senate Republican leaders declined to join Mr. Pence... in rebuking Mrs. Clinton over her remark."

At a press conference with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Pence again declined to call former KKK grand wizard and Trump supporter David Duke "deplorable," saying testily that he and Trump don't want Duke's support or "the support of people who think like him," repeating that he's "not in the name-calling business" and won't "validate the language that Hillary Clinton used," and arguing that when Clinton said "deplorables" she "was not talking about that bad man."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.