Hoosier Governor is in denial:
Pence’s denial comes after the Indianapolis Star reported that Pence planned to start “Just IN,” a state-run news site staffed by Pence press officials.
The news site, according to documents, would compete with independent news organizations on news about Pence’s administration and offer pre-written stories to local news organizations.
“As governor, I can assure you that [the plan] did not meet my expectations and if this website doesn’t meet my expectations of respecting the role of a free an independent press, I will reject it, Pence said during an interview with Greg Garrison’s radio show on WIBC-FM Wednesday.
Yes, we all know how dedicated Gopers are to a free press and that whole First Amendment thing. This is a very unconvincing denial, almost as unconvincing as me denying that I posted this just because I had a funny title. I guess I should be for Pence to run for President because he has such a punworthy name but I’m on the pence about that…
That’s my 50 pence worth.
Actually, Pence appears to be in non-denial denial. The statement quoted says that the plan did not meet his expectations, but that if the website doesn’t meet his expectations, he will reject it. Sounds like he’s going ahead with the website despite the plan not meeting his unspecified expectations, but he’s canny enough to make it sound like he doesn’t know nothin’ ’bout no state-run news outlet. This mish-mash of “I don’t know anything about that” coupled with “But that thing I don’t know anything about isn’t meeting my expectations” would leave the casual citizen rather baffled. Luckily, Pence is governor of Indiana, and can count on his supporters to square that circle with ease: “The governor said he doesn’t know anything about Just IN, whatever that is, and besides, the plan for Just IN (whatever that is), didn’t meet his expectations. Because shut up, that’s why!”