As Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus appeared as a guest on Sunday's This Week show on ABC, host George Stephanopoulos pressed the RNC chairman on whether Indiana Governor Mike Pence, as Donald Trump's running mate, would hurt the party with his pro-life views, and, after Priebus recalled the videos of Planned Parenthood selling aborted fetal tissue, the ABC host was in denial as he asserted that "There was never any proof of selling fetal parts."
Introducing a campaign ad attacking Pence, Stephanopoulos recalled:
Clearly, Mike Pence is going to help you here in the convention hall this week, but Democrats already taking aim at him, saying he's going to hurt, especially with women. Let's take a look.
Then came a clip of the ad:
TEXT OF AD: As Congressman, Pence was willing to shut down the government to defund Planned Parenthood.
WILLIE GEIST, MSNBC: Are you willing to hold up this entire budget over defunding Planned Parenthood?
GOVERNOR MIKE PENCE (R-IN): Well, of course I am-
TEXT OF AD: Pence is bad for women's health.
PENCE: I long for the day when Roe versus Wade is sent to the ash heap of history.
Stephanopoulos then followed up: "Are you concerned at all that Mike Pence is going to hold you back with the voters you need to attract in the general election?"
The RNC chairman began by arguing that the abortion issue would not hurt Republicans, as he alluded to the videos showing Planned Parenthood discussing the sale of aborted fetuses:
No, I don't think so because I think in many cases they look at the top of the ticket, but I also think that, when you lay it out to the American people with regard to Planned Parenthood and late-term abortion and all of the craziness that went on with selling fetal parts and all those sort of disgusting things, people get that there was-
The ABC host jumped in: "There was never any proof of selling fetal parts."
Priebus continued:
Okay, I'm not going to go down that road with you, but the point is, is that even if we don't discuss that part, most Americans agree that federal money -- their tax money shouldn't be used to help pay for abortions. And so that piece alone is something that the American people are with us on.
As far as whether Planned Parenthood, you know, provides, you know, contraceptives or things like that, that's something that gets in the middle. But I think you focus in on that, and most Americans are with us. But they also look to the top if the ticket.
