Former Vice President Mike Pence told a group of conservative lawmakers on Tuesday that he maintains a close personal friendship with former President Donald Trump, while noting that he plans to launch a political organization that will defend their administration’s record over the past four years.
Rep. Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican who chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, told CNN that a group of members met at Pence’s transition office in the Washington area on Tuesday afternoon, talking about the way forward for their party while also touting the accomplishments of the past.
Pence harbored no ill will towards Trump over the January 6 riot, where pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol with many looking for Pence who was presiding over the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory. In fact, Trump’s actions ahead of the riot “never came up,” Banks said.
“He spoke very favorably about his relationship with President Trump,” Banks told CNN. “I got the sense…