'Pence prostituted his reputation' to protect the 'most vile figure' in U.S. political history: conservative

In a biting column for the Bulwark, longtime conservative columnist Mona Charen made her case that Mike Pence, as the headline on her column stated, "Sold His Soul For Nothing" by remaining steadfast in his support for Donald Trump until now when the former vice president wants to create distance so he can become president.

In a brutal appraisal, Charen said of the deeply religious Pence that he "prostituted his reputation for Christian piety to the most vile figure in the history of American presidential politics."

As Pence has begun his increasingly obvious run for the 2024 GOP nomination by giving high profile speeches and flying around the country handing out endorsements to 2022 GOP candidates whose support he would expect for his anticipated presidential run, Charen maintains he deserves no credit after standing by Trump for four years and choosing his words carefully since the Jan. 6 insurrection.

"As Pence is well-situated to know, big chunks of the GOP base have become hungry for a very different tone. Christian charity is out. Vulgar insults, shameless lies, and secessionist hatred are in. It sure is ugly, but Pence is in no position to complain. It’s a revolution that Mike Pence did so much to encourage, and it’s bizarre that he seems to think he can carry on as if nothing has changed," the conservative columnist charged before landing a series of body blows to Pence's reputation.

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"Pence lent his credibility as a religious man to a villain, and gave permission to millions of self-styled Christians to vote for him. Pence’s pious conscience was remarkably quiescent when Trump encouraged his followers to rough up hecklers; when he bore false witness against Muslim Americans (falsely claiming that he saw them celebrating after 9/11); when he attempted to extort the president of Ukraine to lie about Joe Biden; when he separated asylum-seeking parents from their children; when he refused to condemn the tiki-torch Nazi wannabes in Charlottesville; when he elevated a series of kooks and conspiracists to high office; and when he insisted that the election had been stolen," she wrote before bluntly adding, "Pence was fine with all of it."

Giving the former vice president some credit for resisting Trump's attempt to steal the election on Jan. 6, Charen said it's not enough to whitewash his "obsequious" years of service to Trump, saying of his presidential hopes: "Pence chose another path—trying to have it both ways. It will end, perhaps appropriately, with a whimper."

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