Pence Said to Play 'Large Role' in White House Transition

As President-elect Donald Trump and his team begin to map out a Trump presidency, two aides to Mike Pence said it's becoming evident that the vice president-elect will be playing a "large role" in the transition.

“Mike’s presence in the meeting [today] is an indication of the role Mike will play,” said an aide. "I think you will see Mike having a very active role as a liaison on Capitol Hill with both Leader [Mitch] McConnell and with Speaker [Paul] Ryan."

Trump, Pence, Ryan, and McConnell are all meeting in Washington, D.C., today. A Pence aide said Trump wanted Pence there as he sees him as a "key partner." The current governor of Indiana spent 12 years in Congress, which was part of what the Trump campaign found so appealing about Pence while vetting him as a possible running mate.

Aides said Americans would be seeing "a lot of familiar faces in the days and weeks and months to come," but added that it would be "foolish" to assume the new government would be made up of just Washington insiders.

On the campaign trail, Pence often brought up his experience in Congress, joking, "I often tell people that if I only had 12 years left to live, I'd want to spend them on Capitol Hill, because those were the longest 12 years of my life."

Pence also spent a significant amount of time reaching out to members of Congress, meeting privately with sitting senators and Speaker Ryan on several occasions, asking them for their support.

In addition, Pence has also reached out to Democrats, including Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Pence served in the House with Pelosi and the two are "on friendly terms."

Aides would not reveal too much of what was said yesterday during the first transition meetings in New York, which went on for over 10 hours.

"They were private transition meetings but the governor is thrilled, he's excited, nothing but positive energy and momentum internally," said an aide.

Pence will continue to serve as governor of Indiana until Jan. 9, when Governor-elect Eric Holcomb will be inaugurated.

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from ABC News: Politics http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mike-pence-play-large-role-white-house-transition/story?id=43447801

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