Republican vice-presidential candidate Gov. Mike Pence, on today’s edition of “Meet the Press,” called on Huma Abedin, vice-chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and long time body woman for Hillary, to release the contents of emails in her possession that are now under scrutiny by the FBI.
“I’m very glad to hear Hillary Clinton calling for putting all of this out on the table,” Pence said when asked by Chuck Todd if FBI Director James Comey’s bombshell letter was fair. “Why doesn’t she ask her senior aide to release all these emails?”
Here’s the transcript of the exchange:
CHUCK TODD: Do you think it is fair to the American voter to essentially have him announce something vague, but we don’t know what it is? We don’t know the seriousness of it. He said “pertinent,” but we don’t know. Is that fair to the voters? I mean, your campaign wants more information, the Clinton Campaign — it does seem as if everybody wants more information out before the election.
GOVERNOR MIKE PENCE: Well, first off, let’s remember how we got here. So, Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State had a private server that the F.B.I. has already confirmed contained classified and sensitive information, which endangers the national security of the United States of America.
There was information about military operations on there that could well have endangered troops down range. And, so, you know, let’s recognize this all began with her. But the other piece of this, with regard to disclosure, I’m very glad to hear Hillary Clinton calling for putting all of this out on the table. Why doesn’t she ask her senior aide to release all these emails?
I mean, why doesn’t she go ahead and release all the 33,000 emails that she did not turn over to the F.B.I. and to the Congress initially? I mean, I think the American people have a right to know. But the decision by the F.B.I. here, I think, is encouraging to millions of Americans. Because number one, the F.B.I. director is keeping his word to the Congress that if new pertinent information came forward that justified the reopening of the case, that he would alert the Congress. He has done that.
CHUCK TODD: Do you think Director Comey has a duty, though, to share more information of what’s known?
GOVERNOR MIKE PENCE: I think he has a duty to move forward professionally and in a timely way on this. And certainly, the public has a right to know. But let’s be clear. Hillary Clinton, when this story broke, I believe she was traveling with Huma Abedin. I mean, why didn’t she just turn to Huma and say, “Put these emails out?” I mean, why wouldn’t she make those emails available to members of Congress–
CHUCK TODD: That’s definitely a question for her and her campaign.
GOVERNOR MIKE PENCE: — or to the media. [Emphsis added]