Swarens: Pence must take a stand

There comes a time when even the most loyal and patient of employees must pound the table and demand accountability from a derelict boss. Less than a month into the Trump administration’s tenure, that time has come for Vice President Mike Pence.

On Jan. 26, President Donald Trump learned that his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had lied to his vice president about potentially illegal communication with Russia’s ambassador to the United States.

Eleven days earlier, Pence, based on Flynn’s false assurance, said in an interview with CBS News that the former general had not discussed potential U.S. sanctions against Russia with the ambassador.

Pence’s assertion, we now know, was wrong. On Monday, Flynn resigned and has reportedly apologized to Pence for the lie.

But that doesn’t come close to closing this matter, or excusing the president’s mishandling of the scandal.

For more than two weeks, Trump allowed the public to believe critical information that he knew to be false. By slow walking the revelation of Flynn’s lie, the president also undermined Pence’s personal and professional integrity.

Whatever you think of Pence’s politics, his honesty has not been seriously questioned. I’ve covered Pence for 17 years and have never caught him in a lie, a fact I can’t attribute to many politicians.

But now, because of Trump’s fumbled handling of this mess, the American public and key decision-makers inside the government have good reason to question whether Pence’s word can be trusted. Not because Pence would intentionally lie, but because the vice president may have been misled by others and then kept in the dark by his boss.

So Pence needs to take a strong stand. And he needs to do so not just for himself and the integrity of the vice presidency but also to protect other key officeholders.

If Trump is willing to compromise his number two, what will he do to his Pentagon chief, James Mattis, or his director of intelligence, Dan Coats? Both men carry unblemished integrity and have earned bipartisan respect. Will Trump also trade on their good names for his own ends?

News reports indicate that Pence insisted on Flynn’s exit once the lie came to light. If those stories are accurate, it’s an indication that the vice president wields substantial leverage inside the White House. He needs to use that leverage to enlighten the boss about the importance of addressing his top staff’s errors with transparency and integrity.

Trump, for his part, still doesn’t appear to understand the severity of Flynn’s malfeasance, instead blaming “illegal leaks” to the media for his adviser’s downfall. That’s nonsense, of course, but tragically, we’ve come to expect nonsense from this commander in chief.

Usually at this early stage in an administration, we still have hopes about what might be accomplished. With the Trump team’s disastrous start, it’s now more about damage control. Can we get out of the next four years without the credibility and integrity of the Republic left in shreds?

Mike Pence is in a position to mitigate the carnage. He needs to stand in the Oval Office, plant his feet in front of the president’s desk and pound away.

More on Pence: 

Pence walks Trump tightrope by keeping his faith at the forefront

The perks of being vice president

Pence's defense comes up in Russian meddling story

Contact Swarens at tim.swarens@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @tswarens.