Mike Pence spoke to the Heritage Foundation on Wednesday in a speech that is about as close as he's ever gotten to trashing Donald Trump on anything.
Pence, who was the target of death threats in a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, told the room that the conservatives cannot lie about public policies antithetical to the movement simply because they sound good.
The conservative movement cannot be led “astray by the siren song of unprincipled populism. This movement, and the party that it animates, must remain the movement of a strong national defense, limited government, and traditional moral values and life," said Pence.
Pence also reiterated that among the first things that Republicans will do is ban all abortions across the country. After claiming to support "states' rights," the GOP is seeking to end that by imposing restrictive laws on the freedoms and privacy of women.
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Dabbling in foreign policy, Pence also struck out against his party's support of Russia. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who hopes to win the House in November, said that if the GOP takes over, they will likely stop funding Ukraine as they defend themselves from the Russian invasion.
"There is no room for Putin's apologists in the American conservative movement," Pence said. "There is only room for champions of freedom."
McCarthy hasn't commented on the position.
LIVE: Mike Pence speaks at Washington, D.C. conservative think tankwww.youtube.com
Republican National Committee / Nikki Haley for President fundraising email from the night former President Donald Trump was federally indicted. (Email screenshot)