The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of The Prowler.

We must stop giving Vice President Mike Pence the benefit of the doubt when he claims to not be aware of the Trump administration’s multiple wrongdoings. The facts prove he is misleading the public.

In January, Pence denied that members of the Trump campaign had communications with Russian officials, but that was proven to be false. On May 18, it was disclosed that the Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russian officials, according to a Reuters report.

About a week after Trump’s election win, Pence became the leader of Trump’s transition team. This meant, presumably, that he would be aware of any information communicated to the group. And on May 17, the New York Times revealed that former national security advisor Michael Flynn told Trump’s transition team that he was under federal investigation for secretly getting paid to lobby for Turkey during the campaign.

After being questioned by Fox News on March 9 about Flynn getting paid to lobby for Turkey, Pence said he had not “heard of it” before that day. Pence’s response does not make sense. How can the leader of the transition team not be aware of significant information given to it?

One day after President Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey, Pence said, “President Trump made the right decision at the time to accept the recommendation of the deputy attorney general and the attorney general to ask for the termination” of Comey. Pence added that Trump’s decision was not impacted by his objections to the ongoing investigation of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

Both claims are false. In an interview with NBC News on May 11, Trump said that he had been planning on firing Comey before he received Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s recommendation to do so. Trump also added that he was considering “the Russia thing” before firing Comey.

Presumably, Trump and Pence communicate often, for that is the kind of relationship one would expect of the president and vice president; so again, why did Pence intentionally mislead the public?

On May 18, CNN reported that a senior administration adviser described Pence as being a “loyal soldier.” This revelation suggests that Pence will do anything for Trump, even if that means purposefully lying to the American public. Pence does not care for transparency, but rather wants to remain on Trump’s good side.

At the time of the Watergate scandal, then-Vice President Gerald Ford similarly stood up for Nixon. In fact, he constantly defended President Nixon on the Watergate issue. Ford also never criticized Nixon personally, and according to the The Washington Post, “it was not until the weekend before Nixon’s resignation that Ford stopped proclaiming belief in Nixon’s personal innocence.” Despite the harsh rhetoric hurled at Nixon, Ford was able to deflect confidently.

The similarities between Pence and Ford are undeniable. In the midst of scandals, Pence does not criticize the president, although there is clear evidence of wrongdoings. No matter the crisis in the White House, Pence remains calm, confident and cavalier, as if nothing serious were wrong.

The Pence-Ford parallel should signify to the American public that Pence is not to be trusted. We all know how the Watergate scandal ended, where Ford’s claims about Nixon’s innocence were debunked.

Pence will defend Trump on any issue, even if Trump gets impeached, for he is putting himself above the country. So, the time has come for Americans, including the news media, to call Pence out for his fabrications.

The fact that Pence does not have the interest of the American people in mind should disturb us all, regardless of our political party affiliation. At the end of the day, we are all patriots, and we must acknowledge that government officials should not put their own interests before the interests of our country.