Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary called out Politico on Wednesday for claiming that Pence has “scant” foreign policy experience.
Jack Shafer, Politico’s senior media writer, wrote an article arguing that vice presidents often serve as figureheads rather than people with real power and, in the process, denigrated Pence’s record in Congress.
“Trump has most recently retooled Pence into his overseas surrogate, assigning him the impossible job of selling his Iranian policy to European allies and waving the American flag down Venezuela way, despite his scant foreign policy experience,” Shafer said.
Alyssa Farrah, Pence’s press secretary, said on Twitter that she reached out to Shafer to inform him that Pence “served on the [House Foreign Affairs Committee] for a decade” when he was representing Indiana in Congress.
According to records from the Indiana University library, Pence served on the House Committee on International Relations, later renamed the Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2012.
POLITICO reporter: “VP has scant foreign policy experience”
Me: “FYI, he served on @HouseForeign for a decade prior to being VP”
Reporter: *Updates piece to say “Vp’s office says he served on HFAC ” (as tho it’s up for dispute) & leaves off it was FOR A DECADE
Me:— Alyssa Farah (@Alyssafarah) February 27, 2019
Shafer added an “addendum” to the piece about Pence’s service on Foreign Affairs but did not mention how long he served on the committee.
“(Addendum: The vice president’s office points out that Pence served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee while a member of Congress.),” Shafer added after his claim that Pence lacks experience on foreign policy.