How will Trump pick a VP? Intense vetting process could narrow the field, experts say
The process was “like having a colonoscopy being performed, but they used the Hubble Telescope to do it,” one former vice presidential contender said. The process of selecting a vice presidential nominee could narrow the field before former President Donald Trump announces his nominee around mid-July. The process, which involves a thorough vetting process involving a team of lawyers sifting through vast data about the public and private lives of top contenders, typically takes months and involves a wide-ranging questionnaire, financial documents, medical records, and past statements. The Trump campaign reportedly has reportedly requested records from Sens. Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, J.D. Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Reps. Elise Stefanik, Byron Donalds and Ben Carson. Experts suggest that any issues such as not paying taxes or criminal offenses could disqualify a contender for the vice presidential nomination.
Pubblicato : 3 settimane fa di Brendan Rascius in Politics
Former President Donald Trump is expected to announce his vice presidential nominee sometime around the Republican National Convention in mid-July. But before he makes a decision, his campaign is likely conducting an intensive vetting process of the top contenders for the job, according to political experts.
The process — which is akin to a lengthy background check — typically takes months and involves a team of lawyers sifting through troves of data pertaining to the public and private lives of the contenders.
Former Indiana Sen. and Gov. Evan Bayh, who was twice vetted for the vice presidency, told McClatchy News that the ordeal “was like having a colonoscopy being performed, but they used the Hubble Telescope to do it.”
While each campaign has its own vetting procedure, the process usually begins by requesting records from a shortlist of candidates, Charlie Black, a veteran Republican strategist, told McClatchy News.
The Trump campaign has reportedly asked for these records from Sens. Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, J.D. Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Reps. Elise Stefanik, Byron Donalds and Ben Carson, according to ABC News.
The requests usually ask for financial documents, medical records and past statements, Bayh said, noting that the campaigns are looking for anything that they may have the defend politically.
Bayh, who was vetted to bevice president by both Al Gore and Barack Obama, said he was given an extensive 30-page questionnaire by the Obama campaign in 2008.
Some of the questions asked about potentially embarrassing past statements and even “baseless rumors and complete falsehoods that have been told,” Bayh said.
They typically ask about major differences between prospective running mates and the presidential candidate, John Fortier, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who was involved in a 2016 report on the vice presidential selection process, told McClatchy News.
They might say “is there any story that’s going to be written about you that’s going to show any daylight between you and the president? And what are those things?” Fortier said.
Additionally, the campaign also conducts its own public records search of the candidates, Black said.
“Some people have long careers with a lot of press and internet mentions and quotes, so it takes a couple months at least to do that part,” Black said.
The compiled information is then reviewed by a team of trusted lawyers and advisers for the campaign, Black said.
These lawyers may also look into the lives of the family members and close confidants of the contenders, Bayh said.
“They wanted to know about my children, who at the time were fairly young,” Bayh said. “They wanted to know if they had any social media and what was on there. They checked out my father and his then wife. So they cast a very, very broad net.”
Ultimately, some of the contenders are then brought in for sit-down interviews with the campaign, Fortier said.
“If we’re getting down to the last few candidates, (they) will ask some of these more delicate questions,” Fortier said. These meetings also give the presidential candidate the chance to spend time with the contenders to see if they might be a good fit together.
In 2008, Bayh — who believed he and then Sen. Joe Biden were top finalists — was flown out to Missouri to meet with Obama for a three-hour interview.
Obama had with him a large stack of documents: the results of Bayh’s vetting process.
“He said ‘Our team has done a pretty thorough job and there’s nothing in there that bothers me, but if we didn’t find anything about you that you think I should know, now is the time to tell me,’” Bayh said.
What could be disqualifying?
Any number of things could take a contender out of the running for the vice presidential nomination, multiple experts said.
Issues include “personal scandals, either not paying taxes or some kind of criminal offense,” Black said. “You might find out that somebody’s spouse had three shoplifting violations or something, and that’s probably going to be disqualifying.”
Past public statements that are difficult to defend could also be seen as major red flags, Black said.
“It’s possible that the standard for vice presidents these days is actually higher than it is for presidents,” Bayh said. “Given some of the controversies swirling around the presidential nominee…they’ll probably want someone with as pristine a background as they can get.”
But, while a scandal-free record can help one’s chances, running mates are ultimately picked based on electability, Bayh said.
“When they get that final two or three, it really is going to be ‘who’s going to be able to help me win?’ It’s a political decision,” Bayh said. “You’ve already kind of crossed the threshold of governability.”