Something to Know 13 April

This is so tragically humorous in that it is so sad.  The vice president is gearing up to hop on a plane to Peru to meet with some guy who resigned from office 3 weeks ago on

account of a scandal.   Either the stretched thin State Department or the vice president's staff is so incompetent that they blew it.  May he rest in PEACH.

Post Politics

Pence's office advertises meeting with Peruvian president who resigned 3 weeks ago amid scandal

By John Wagner April 13 at 7:06 AM Email the author

Vice President Pence speaks in Washington. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

As Vice President Pence prepared to head to Peru on Friday for the Summit of the Americas, his office advertised several events on his itinerary, including "a banquet hosted by President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of Peru."

One problem: Kuczynski resigned more than three weeks ago after becoming ensnared in a corruption scandal involving Latin America's largest construction firm.

Kuczynski's decision came on the eve of a congressional impeachment vote. Kuczynski has continued to deny wrongdoing. But according to local media, before a closed-door congressional hearing last week, Kuczynski acknowledged a payment from an affiliate of the construction firm of nearly $700,000 in return for "verbal" products and "contacts."

[Peruvian President Kuczynski resigns amid corruption scandal]

The payment took place before he became president but after he had served as prime minister and economy minister. Many Peruvians regard that as a blatant conflict of interest, and some are asking whether it may have constituted the crime of influence-peddling.

Earlier Friday morning, Pence's office issued "updated" guidance for his trip. It now includes "a banquet hosted by President Martín Vizcarra of Peru."

Glitches and typos — some embarrassing — have been sprinkled through Trump administration statements.

Air Force One became "Air Force Once" on the president's public schedule. The White House sought "lasting peach" in a news release touting efforts to broker a deal between Israel and Palestinian territories. A news release announced the departure of an East Wing aide to work for Rep. Will Hurd (R-Tex.). In the next sentence, Rep. Hurd became Rep. Hill.

Pence is traveling to the summit in Peru as a fill-in for President Trump. The White House announced earlier this week that Trump would stay behind to oversee the U.S. response to suspected chemical attacks in Syria.

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