Pence says ‘YOLO caucus’ should ‘follow their conscience’

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Former Vice President Mike Pence urged Republican lawmakers who have lost their primaries to challengers or have decided not to run for reelection to let their consciences guide them, when asked whether they will work with the Trump administration or stand up to the administration.

“My advice to them is just follow your conscience,” Pence, who is promoting his new book “What Conservatives Believe,” said in an interview with The Hill on Tuesday.

“I know all of those men well. I served with them, many of them, when I was in the Congress, and of course when I was serving as president of the Senate as vice president. They’re honorable men, they’re men of integrity, and I’m confident they’ll do what they believe is right for the country and right for the cause,” he continued.

All eyes are on several GOP lawmakers who have lost their primaries to Trump-backed challengers, including Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), as well as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and whether they will become a thorn in Trump’s side as his administration seeks to push as much as possible through Congress ahead of the midterms.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who announced last year he wouldn’t seek another term, has already proven to be an irritant to the administration, criticizing Trump on many fronts.

A number of Republicans have already broken with Trump on the Justice Department’s anti-weaponization fund and funding for the White House ballroom.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) notably broke with Trump on Monday after he rejected the president’s calls to tie the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act to passing an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) enhanced surveillance powers.

The intraparty fissures come as Republicans face an uphill battle in defending their majorities in the House and the Senate.

“There is literally no cause more important right now than maintaining Republican majorities in the U.S. and the U.S. House. It’ll be tough. The first midterm election for the party in power in the White House is always difficult, but I am confident that those leaders and our voters are going to count the cost,” Pence said, referring to the prospect of a Democratic victory.

“If they take the House of Representatives, that will mean that essentially the ability to make progress on these principles is over, but if they take the Senate, it means that the ability to confirm conservatives to our courts, including to the Supreme Court of the United States, will be immensely difficult,” he said.

“I’m going to continue to do my part to make sure, as I know those leaders will, that we hold those majorities going forward,” he added.

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Bill Cassidy

Donald Trump

John Cornyn

John Thune

Mike Pence

Thom Tillis

Thomas Massie

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