CNN
Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, on Monday dismissed comments from Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) about Pence’s presidential prospects, adding that he would be surprised if the Florida congressman isn’t convicted of child sex trafficking by the time of the 2024 election.
CNN’s Erin Burnett asked Short to react to part of a speech Gaetz gave Monday at a conference organized by Turning Point USA, a right-wing youth activist group. Gaetz declared, “Our America is proudly ultra MAGA, not some low energy roadside RINO safari. On that note, let me just say what everybody here knows: Mike Pence will never be president. Nice guy, not a leader.”
Short responded by saying he wasn’t sure if his former boss, who is expected to deliver a speech in Washington, D.C. around the time that former President Donald Trump is set to make his first return to the district since leaving office, would throw his hat in the ring. Regardless of Pence’s decision, Short said, “I don’t think Matt Gaetz will have an impact on that.”