Alyssa Farah Griffin took a moment on Wednesday to recount a meeting that she had witnessed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Vice President Mike Pence several years ago — and she revealed what Pence said to the Russian dictator that left him “taken aback.”
Griffin, who served both as an aide to Pence and later as the White House’s Director of Strategic Communications during former President Donald Trump’s administration, said that the meeting took place alongside the ASEAN Summit — a biannual policy and economic meeting held by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“I’ve shared this before but saw it resurfaced. Putin requested a mtg with @Mike_Pence on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. (He asked via Lavrov to Bolton),” Griffin tweeted. “We agreed, though instead of meeting at the agreed to location, the Russians cornered us in the back of the room.”
Thread: I’ve shared this before but saw it resurfaced. Putin requested a mtg with @Mike_Pence on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. (He asked via Lavrov to Bolton) We agreed, though instead of meeting at the agreed to location, the Russians cornered us in the back of the room. pic.twitter.com/6eClfY1Piu
— Alyssa Farah Griffin 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@Alyssafarah) April 13, 2022
“I was knocked down by a Russian guard. However, Hector Hernandez, head of Pence’s @SecretService detail, literally picked me up and positioned me to stand behind Pence so I could hear clearly,” Griffin continued, going on to share her personal assessment of Putin’s character: “I looked into Putin’s eyes and saw the soul of an evil man. Blackness.”
Griffin then explained what Pence said to Putin — in an effort, she explained, to make sure that Putin understood he was in control of the meeting — and she said that it appeared to have the desired effect, putting the Russian dictator on the defensive immediately.
“@Mike_Pence — wanting to take control of the impromptu mtg, looked Putin square in the eyes & said, ‘We know what you tried to do with our elections. It won’t happen again,'” Griffin said. “To say Putin looked taken aback is an understatement.”
Griffin concluded by saying that moment was the second proudest she had ever been of the former vice president. The proudest moment, she added, was January 6, 2021 — when then Vice President Mike Pence refused calls from President Trump to reject the electoral votes and overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Since leaving the White House, Griffin has made several appearances on ABC’s midday talk show “The View.” She is one of several conservative guests hosts — along with former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Utah Congresswoman Mia Love, CNN contributor Mary Katharine Ham, and several others — who have taken a turn in the lone conservative seat since former host Meghan McCain left the show last year.