RETALIATION

Mike Pence Staff Threatens Reporter for Revealing Off-Record Truth Behind Mask Saga

Pence’s staff told members of the press they would have to wear masks at the Mayo Clinic, even though the veep didn’t wear one.

Vice President Mike Pence’s office has threatened to ban a White House reporter for tweeting about an off-the-record demand that reporters wear masks for the veep’s now-infamous visit to the Mayo Clinic, the Washington Post reports. The Vice President visited the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday and did not wear protective facial gear despite the clinic’s policy, a choice that provoked strident criticism. Pence’s wife, Karen, claimed later he didn’t know about the rules, but Voice of America (VOA) White House reporter Steve Herman, who accompanied him on the trip, said in a tweet that Pence’s staff did know: “All of us who traveled with him were notified by the office of @VP the day before the trip that wearing of masks was required by the @MayoClinic and to prepare accordingly.” Pence’s office claims Herman violated the off-the-record rules of the planning memo sent before the tour, normally put in place as a security precaution. Herman told the Post that the White House Correspondents’ Association notified him he had been banned from flying on Air Force Two, but Pence’s office told VOA the punishment was not finalized, pending an apology.