Appearing Sunday on ABC's This Week,
Vice President Mike Pence would not say whether a rumored “religious
freedom” executive order that could undermine LGBT rights is in the
offing.
In affirming that President Donald
Trump would leave in place an Obama-era executive order prohibiting
LGBT discrimination among federal contractors, Pence, who as governor
of Indiana signed a law that critics said would allow discrimination
against the LGBT community in the name of “religious freedom,”
said that he applauded President Donald Trump's mention of the LGBT
community at last year's Republican National Convention (RNC) in
Cleveland.
“I think throughout the campaign,
President Trump made it clear that discrimination would have no place
in our administration,” Pence said. “I mean, he was the very
first Republican nominee to mention the LGBT community at our
Republican National Convention and was applauded for it. And I was
there applauding with him. I think the generosity of his spirit,
recognizing that in the patriot’s heart, there’s no room for
prejudice is part of who this president is.”
When asked about the rumored executive
order first reported last week by The Nation that would
protect persons and organizations that oppose marriage equality and
abortion rights and believe that a person's sex is determined at or
before birth, Pence pivoted to Trump's pledge to repeal the Johnson
Amendment, a 1954 law that prohibits churches from endorsing or
opposing political candidates.
“And no executive order beyond that
[related to 'religious freedom']?” host George Stephanopoulos
asked.
“Well, I think that'll be the purview
of the president to determine whether any of that's necessary,”
Pence answered. “But I will tell you for our part, the focus of
this administration will continue to be to have a safer America, to
have a more prosperous America, and to continue to advance the
president's agenda.”
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