Mike Pence Dances Around, Declines to Answer ‘Is America Morally Superior to Russia?’ (Video)

Vice President Mike Pence declined to say that the United States is “morally superior” to Vladimir Putin’s Russia on “Face the Nation” Sunday.

In the interview, Pence denied that President Donald Trump’s tweet about a “so-called judge” he disagreed with was an assault on his legitimacy, and expressed confidence that the president’s executive order which banned travelers from certain countries would be upheld in the courts.

Host John Dickerson played a portion of Trump’s interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, in which the host pointed out that Putin is “a killer” and the president responded, “You think our country is so innocent?” Dickerson asked Pence whether he agreed with that.

Pence provided a roundabout answer about “finding common ground” but, when pressed by Dickerson on the logic used by Trump in that statement, he denied “there was any moral equivalency in the president’s comments.”

Dickerson questioned Pence, “Do you think America is morally superior to Russia?” to which the vice president commented on Trump engaging the world in a “new and renewed way.”

After being pressed with the repeated question, Pence provided an indirect answer.

“I believe that the ideals that America has stood for throughout our history represent the highest ideals of humankind,” he said.

When Dickerson followed up, Pence once again pivoted back to Trump looking at unorthodox ways of engaging other countries — which now includes “whataboutism.”

“What the president is determined to do, as someone who has spent a lifetime looking for deals, is to see if we can have a new relationship with Russia and other countries that advances the interests of America first and the peace and security of the world.

Watch the full video above.