VP Mike Pence was so stung by Adam Rippon’s criticism that he tried to set up a conversation with him. Not backing down, Rippon refused. My @usatodaysports exclusive on the bizarre battle between the VP of the United States — and a figure skater. https://t.co/N1ti0xdIXf
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 7, 2018
Facts be damned, crafting the narrative is what counts.
Vice President Mike Pence has never funded gay conversion therapy, nor is he personally engaged in a “battle” with a gay figure skater.
You would think differently, however, from following USA Today columnist Christine Brennan’s coverage of the Olympics.
First, it’s extremely generous to characterize Rippon’s allegation as a “criticism. It’s closer to an outright lie. The claim that Pence supports gay conversion therapy stems entirely from a passage from an archived version of Pence’s 2000 congressional campaign website, which reads [emphasis added]:
Congress should support the reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act only after completion of an audit to ensure that federal dollars were no longer being given to organizations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus. Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.
It’s from that final sentence that this entire Pence/conversion narrative emerged. In other words, it’s a story that relies entirely on supposed dog-whistles, rather than financial records or anything concrete.
Secondly, Rippon refusing to meet with Pence to explain the extremely dubious conversion charge is absolutely “backing down.”
Thirdly, it’s deeply misleading to take everything mentioned in the earlier points and still characterize this story as a “battle between the VP of the United States — and a figure skater.”