Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence said Sunday the media are piling on with “unsubstantiated claims” about ticket-topper Donald Trump’s past behavior around women and that he “couldn’t be more proud” to stand with the real estate mogul.
A number of women — the latest tally is nine — have accused Mr. Trump of groping them or making untoward sexual advances on them in years past.
But Mr. Pence, the governor of Indiana, reiterated his belief that the reports are politically timed and that evidence to refute their claims will come out soon. However, he applauded Mr. Trump for apologizing for his lewd remarks about women during an “Access Hollywood” taping in 2005.
“I thought it was right and proper for Donald Trump to apologize for the comments he made,” Mr. Pence said told “Fox News Sunday.”
Mr. Pence said the media should stick to the campaign’s plans for American prosperity, and that it should delve into emails by Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and her staff that reveal them making unflattering remarks about Catholics and “needy” Latinos.
At the same time, Mr. Pence said there should be “severe consequences” for overseas hackers trying to meddle in American politics, as investigators say Russian hackers were responsible for the emails published by WikiLeaks, an anti-secrecy website.
Democratic vice-presidential pick Tim Kaine, a senator from Virginia, was more forceful about reports that Russia was behind the attacks: “I can’t think of a precedent of a foreign nation trying to destabilize an American election.”
Mr. Kaine said he is confident that Mrs. Clinton’s own private email server, which she set up during her tenure at the State Department, was not breached.
A new Washington Post/ABC News polls has Mrs. Clinton leading Mr. Trump, 47 percent to 43 percent, suggesting unflattering headlines for either camp have virtually offset each other since the conventions.
“It’s going to be fought all the way to the finish,” Mr. Pence said.
However, a second poll by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal had Mrs. Clinton up by 11 percentage points, driven in part by a 20-point edge among women.
Down in the polls, Mr. Trump has lashed out at his GOP critics and the media and continued to question Mrs. Clinton’s stamina and mindset along the campaign, even suggesting the candidates should take a drug test before this week’s debate in Las Vegas.
Asked whether that was a good idea, Mr. Pence ducked the question.
“All I know for sure is that Donald Trump is going to be ready for the debate Wednesday night,” he said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.