Mike Pence scrambles to distance himself from the Donald Trump Jr. revelations

Vice President Mike Pence reacted to news that Donald Trump Jr. met knowingly with a Kremlin source for information about Hillary Clinton by distancing himself as much as possible. "The vice president is working every day to advance the president's agenda," the statement from the vice president's press secretary began. "He was not aware of the meeting. He is also not focused on stories about the campaign — especially those pertaining to the time before he joined the campaign."

Or, the tl;dr version:

As Axios has written, "the most awkward waiting game in Washington is being endured by Vice President Mike Pence, who can't look like he's distancing himself from his boss, but has to protect his own viability amid the chaos at 1600."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.