Trump and Pence Play Good Cop, Bad Cop on Putin

Hillary Clinton’s campaign has done a thorough job of painting Donald Trump as a sympathizer of President Vladimir Putin. The Oct. 4 vice-presidential debate led some to believe that there was a split between Trump and his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, on this issue. Yet Trump’s statements about the Russian leader and his suggestions about cooperation might be consistent with Pence’s advocacy of a tough stance.

Intentionally or not, a significant portion of the debate focused on Russia. Clinton’s running mate, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, tried to put Pence on the defensive by reprising claims that Trump and Pence have praised Putin’s leadership, Trump’s company has “business dealings with Russian oligarchs who are very connected to Putin,” and “the Trump campaign management team had to be fired a month or so ago because of those shadowy connections with pro-Putin forces,” a reference to former campaign manager Paul Manafort’s work in Ukraine.