Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday he remains opposed to the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion — but would not say if Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh would help advance that priority.
In an interview with CNN's Dana Bash and aired on "The Situation Room," Pence answered affirmatively when he was asked if he still wants the Roe v. Wade overturned, adding, "but I haven't been nominated to the Supreme Court."
Pressed on whether he would be disappointed if Kavanaugh did not help overturn the ruling, Pence declared, "I stand for the sanctity of life."
"This administration, this president are pro-life but, you know, what the American people ought to know is that as the president said [Tuesday] this is not an issue that he discussed with Judge Kavanaugh," he continued. "I didn't discuss it with him either. What we really focused on was the character, the background, the credentials, and the judicial philosophy."
He dodged the issue in a follow-up reply as well, asserting, "I can assure people that voted for us . . . that this will continue to be a pro-life administration."
"From early in this administration, President Trump has taken decisive steps to advance pro-life values at home and, frankly, in foreign aid around the world," Pence said. "But what I can also assure people is the president believes that the proper consideration for a nominee to the court is not about litmus tests. Frankly, we have seen an enough of litmus tests over the decades.
"What we don't want is to have people go to the courts with a specific objective or policy criteria. We want people to go that respect the Constitution, respect the Constitution as written, will not legislate from the bench."
"Judge Kavanaugh is exactly the kind of jurist that the American people in the majority want to see on the court," Pence declared.
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