Transcript: June 26, 2022, Mark Short, Former Chief of Staff of "Face the Nation"

The following is former Vice President Mike Pence, broadcast on Sunday, June 26, 2022. This is a record of an interview with Chief of Staff Mark Short.

Margaret Brennan: Mark Short has been added. He was the Chief of Staff of Vice President Pence, a former Vice President. Good morning, Mark. Thank you for visiting us.

Former White House Chief of Staff Mike Pence Mark Short: Morning, Margaret.

Margaret Brennan: I've heard a lot about you. I'm glad you are here. You were with the former Vice President on January 6th. When he evacuated, and when he finally went ahead and proved the election results for the day. Is he watching these hearings, and why is he pulling that decision on whether to cooperate?

Short: Oh, Margaret, I don't know if I say he's pulling that decision. As for the question "Is he watching?", I think. I think we all lived it-and you probably don't think he's out of breath and waiting and probably seeing these hearings to the same extent as some in the Beltway. .. For example, last week there was a hearing. He participated in the Darren La Hood and Esther Joy King campaigns in Illinois. He was campaigning for Steve Shabot. He was running a Lee Zeldin campaign in New York. He's trying to make sure Republicans have a great mid-term cycle. And that's where his focus is on the future, not the re-litigation of the past. Therefore, Congressman Aguilar should not expect the former Vice President to come to the Commission. I'll leave the conversation to the Vice President, his adviser to answer it, Margaret, but I think it's incredibly unprecedented. And I think that having a separation of powers that should be respected is also a conversation between the President and the Vice President. Also, keep in mind that there is now a former Vice President who occupies the Oval Office. Do you want Congress to be able to drag the former Vice President for a particular subpoena or a particular testimony? I think we can certainly set a terrible precedent-

Margaret Brennan: This is unprecedented in history. So this is amazing. As you say, you lived it.  

Short: We lived it, and Margaret, as I and you know, as I and you know, the Chief Adviser summons for hours. I think it was done. And I think it's what the Vice President's team witnessed and saw.

Margaret Brennan: Ask a question-I'd like to ask you about the team, but former Trump, Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows' counterpart, his name comes up again. The deputy lawyer's president testified that it was Meadows who was distributing this strange conspiracy theory about Italian satellites just a few days ago. So he was or wanted to send a gift to Georgia's election authorities, but how much did he collude with this lie?

Short: Margaret, I think Mark often tells me that he is trying to get the president to acknowledge and accept the outcome of the election. At the same time, it was clear that he had brought to the White House many other people who were offering various conspiracy theories to the president. I think Mark was telling different audiences, different stories of all kinds. So, as I said, in many cases the president thinks the service from the teams around him was very poor. And I think they gave him many conspiracy theories and subsequent follow-ups about the conspiracy theories on Election Day.

Margaret Brennan: But there was someone who stood up and said to the president, that's not true. That is wrong. It's unconstitutional. It's illegal. The Vice President was one of them. I didn't do Mark Meadows.

Short: I think the Vice President was consistently constitutionally conservative throughout his life. And I think you know, we're all proud of the way he dealt with that day.

Margaret Brennan: I'd like to ask you about abortion right away, but on this topic, the January 6th Commission this week was the Chief of Staff of Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson attempting an abortion. It was revealed that it was. A fake voter to the Vice President just before he was set to prove the election. Did you know this scheme? Senator was directly involved.

Short: There is no reason to believe that the Senator was directly involved. I know Chris Hodge and our Legislative Secretary shared with me in the text that they came in-and I told Chris not to deliver it to the Vice President. And because what we learned when we sat down, along with MP Margaret, to be honest, this is that every cycle, every four years, members send a separate fake electoral college. .. However, they enter the parliamentary archives and fire them. If they are not certified, it is kind of meaningless.

Margaret Brennan: But do you say that Ron Johnson's staff was completely Kosher?

Short: No, no, no, I didn't say that, Margaret. What happens is that individuals across the country can send in their own set. They always do it. However, that doesn't mean anything unless the state approves it.

Margaret Brennan: Senator Staff

Short: So we intentionally aren't interested in seeing another set that hasn't been certified by Wisconsin. ..

Margaret Brennan: But it wasn't too much of a hassle. So this isn't just someone randomly emailing you.

Short: I think it was clear that there were other voters submitted at the time we were at this location. So it wasn't always shocking at that stage.

Margaret Brennan: He was the only one to try this.

Short: I don't know the other legislators or the staff I wanted to know, but there's no reason to know if Ron Johnson was behind it or if it was a staff-Staff Conversation between.

Margaret Brennan: Frankly, it's pretty incredible.

Short: There were a lot of incredible things that happened around the day.

Margaret Brennan: Yes, I was able to talk about the next hour, Mark, that day. But, as you said, I would also like to ask you about the former Vice President who was on the road to the campaign. One of the things Mike Pence is known for is the stubborn opponent of abortion and a very professional life. You played such an important role in bringing these three Supreme Court judges who voted to overturn this conservative majority, Roe v. Wade, to court. Former Vice President, ban on abortion. So it's even more advanced than where we are now. What does the abortion ban look like?

SHORT: Well, I think the Vice President has defended his life from the beginning of his public career. And, as you know, I think he was one of those who advocated the end of the tax burden for abortion and the position of pro-life.

Margaret Brennan: Exceptions to rape or incest.

SHORT: We believe that life begins with conception, and I think the Vice President always accepts the exceptions of rape and incest. Includes life protection. So Margaret

Margaret Brennan: Is there room for compromise, just as Governor Yongkin is doing in Virginia for 15 weeks?

Short: Margaret, I think we will continue to defend life as much as possible. And if that means-for the fetus-that can extend more protection-we're going to support it. I think it's important to remember that in the Roe v. Wade case, there was never anything the judge could say that a woman had the protection or specific right to have an abortion. Even Ruth Bader Ginsburg himself —

Margaret Brennan: Yes –

Short: That was the case-in the case of Roe v. Wade, they did. It was very unusual to carry out judicial activities. Wade.

Margaret Brennan: Do you oppose this type of surveillance and disciplinary action against women?

Short: Conservative is always better when we speak from a compassionate standpoint than blame. Therefore, we should admit that abortion has multiple casualties, including mothers as well as children, and we should consider providing those women with the care and services they need.

Margaret Brennan: Mark Short, thank you for coming here.

Short: Margaret, thank you for bringing me.

Margaret Brennan: I'll be back soon.