Pence dodges credibility questions on border 'crisis' in morning show barrage

By CAITLIN OPRYSKO 01/08/2019 09:07 AM EST

Vice President Mike Pence claimed Tuesday that Americans are not “as concerned about the political debate” surrounding President Donald Trump’s demands for a border wall, dodging multiple questions about Trump’s credibility as the president prepares to address the nation Tuesday night.

Pence appeared on all three major broadcast morning news shows on Tuesday to bolster Trump’s demands for funding to build his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Those demands, and Democrats’ unwillingness to accede to them, have led to a government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

In its efforts to find traction on the issue, the White House has most recently begun to characterize the flow of migrants into the U.S. as a humanitarian and national security crisis. Previewing Trump’s televised address to the nation scheduled for Tuesday night, Pence told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the president will make the case for Democrats to provide $5.7 billion to build a steel barrier to alleviate what he called “an undeniable crisis at our southern border.”

The vice president avoided direct answers to questions from ABC and others about repeated misstatements from Trump and others that overstate the national security threat at the border.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/08/pence-government-shutdown-border-wall-1086128