Mike Pence said he's '100% confident' no one on his staff wrote the anonymous New York Times op-ed, and he'd take a lie detector test to prove he didn't, either
- Vice President Mike Pence denied any knowledge of the author of an anonymous op-ed published in The New York Times last week.
- The explosive op-ed levels scathing hits on President Donald Trump and describes a "quiet resistance" within the administration.
- Pence said he would take a lie detector test proving he didn't write it, too.
- Suspicion of Pence's involvement first arose when readers identified an obscure term that Pence has used before.
Vice President Mike Pence denied any knowledge of the anonymous author of an op-ed published in the New York Times last week that slams President Donald Trump and describes a growing "resistance" within his administration.
In one of two interviews aired Sunday morning, Pence emphasized on CBS's "Face the Nation" that neither himself nor his staff was involved with the op-ed, saying he was "100% confident."
"I know my people," Pence said. "They get up every day and are dedicated, just as much as I am, to advancing the president's agenda and supporting everything the President Trump is doing for the people of this country."
Suspicion of Pence's potential involvement arose when readers identified the term "lodestar" as an obscure term Pence has used in the past. Pence's office is also in question, as the author was only described as "a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure."
When host Margaret Brennan pushed back on Pence's confidence, he admitted he hadn't asked specific staffers because he didn't feel the need.
"Honestly, I don't have to ask them because I know them," Pence said. "I know their character. I know their dedication and I am absolutely confident that no one on the vice president's staff had anything to do with this."
He also condemned the author, adding, "whoever this was, they should do the honorable thing and resign."
Pence joined a flood of senior administration officials who have stepped forward to condemn the article and deny their involvement.
He initially told Brennan he "wouldn't know" if his staff had anything to do with the article, but asked for the cameras to be turned back on so he could clarify in a continued interview, as he misunderstood her question.
Brennan also asked if the president's Cabinet ever discussed using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office as the op-ed claimed, and Pence said, "No. Never. And why would we?"
Pence said he'd take a lie detector test
The Times reported last week that Trump administration officials were considering using lie detector tests to find out the author's identity.
Pence said in an interview with "Fox News Sunday," he would agree to one "in a heartbeat" to clear his name from suspicion, adding the method would "be a decision for the president."
The vice president also suggested there might be legal consequences to the op-ed, to which host Chris Wallace objected.
Last week, Trump cited "national security" when he told reporters Attorney General Jeff Sessions should investigate the op-ed author.
Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway also discussed the op-ed on air Sunday morning, telling CNN "State of the Union" host Jake Tapper she believes the author "is going to eventually suss himself or herself out."
"I really hope whoever it is doesn't get a hero's walk, a red carpet unfurled ... What really was gained by being so cowardly?" Conway asked. "Come forward and say 'I disagree with this president's policies.' Plenty of Republicans have done that."