Jake Tapper confronts Mike Pence: Why would you request security clearance for a conspiracy theorist?

This Tuesday, CNN host Jake Tapper confronted vice president-elect Mike Pence over the hiring of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn’s son to Donald Trump‘s transition team.

Flynn’s son, Michael G. Flynn, has knowingly shared links on social media that promote bogus conspiracy theories involving Hillary Clinton.

https://twitter.com/mflynnJR/status/805611056009768960

The Trump camp’s earlier narrative downplayed the younger Flynn’s involvement with the group tasked with Trump’s transition to the White House, but Pence cautiously admitted to Tapper that the role was much greater. The younger Flynn has since been removed from the team.

“I said this morning that his son had no involvement in the transition, but I have talked to General Flynn,” Pence explained. “His son was helping him a bit with scheduling and administrative items. But that’s no longer the case.”

Noting the younger Flynn’s penchant for fraudulent conspiracy theories, most notably the alleged so-called ‘pizzagate” Hillary-connected pedophilia ring being run out of a D.C. area pizzeria, Tapper asked Pence why such a person would be given the opportunity to be granted security clearance.

“You must be aware that the transition team put in for a security clearance for Michael G. Flynn, the son of Lieutenant General Flynn,” Tapper said.

Pence attempted to brush aside the question, saying the younger Flynn was only helping his father with scheduling, adding that it was time to “move on.”

“Sorry, you’re not answering the question,” Tapper interjected. “You’re aware that the transition team had put in for a security clearance. This is a young man who had a social media profile with all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories, all sorts of links and retweets with white supremacists. Were you aware that the transition team put in for a security clearance for him?”

Pence continued to pivot from the question, leaving Tapper to forgo his other topics of discussion and continue to hammer the vice-president elect on his evasiveness.

Watch the video below:

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