POLITICO Playbook: Pence on the trail

GOOD MORNING from NEW ORLEANS … We flew down here yesterday to check out VP MIKE PENCE fundraising with HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP STEVE SCALISE at a private event at the World War II Museum. We wanted to catch the vibe of the GOP fundraising circuit with two of the party’s top names, and see what Republicans were talking about as a maelstrom swirls at the White House.

THEY WERE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE DRAMA. At all. Not one iota. (By the way, Pence’s remarks were pooled, there was media in the room and he said nothing about “fake news.” He didn’t criticize the media once.)

DESPITE the constant drama in D.C. -- especially at the White House -- Scalise and Pence were a draw. They raised $1.4 MILLION for the Great America Committee -- Pence’s PAC -- and Scalise’s victory committee. It was a relatively small event -- just 14 tables of eight or so chairs each arranged under a bunch of antique military planes suspended from the ceiling.

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS involved in the event included the Louisiana delegation … Scalise, obviously, and Republican Reps. Garrett Graves, Clay Higgins, Ralph Abraham and Mike Johnson. ALSO SPOTTED at the event: Bob Livingston, the former Louisiana congressman who was almost speaker of the House.

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