JIMMY Kimmel has backhandedly apologized after claiming that Vice President Mike Pence delivered empty boxes of protective gear to a hospital for a public relations boost. The late-night talk show host tweeted on Friday that “it would appear that @vp was joking about carrying empty boxes for a staged publicity stunt.” “The full video reveals […]
JIMMY Kimmel has backhandedly apologized after claiming that Vice President Mike Pence delivered empty boxes of protective gear to a hospital for a public relations boost.
The late-night talk show host tweeted on Friday that “it would appear that @vp was joking about carrying empty boxes for a staged publicity stunt.”
“The full video reveals that he was carrying full boxes for a staged publicity stunt,” Kimmel said. “My apologies. I know how dearly this administration values truth.”
Kimmel initially ridiculed Pence after the former Indiana governor appeared to joke about carrying empty boxes into a hospital in Virginia on Thursday.
In a viral clip of the incident, Pence can be seen carrying boxes of personal protective equipment (PPE) from FEMA into Woodbine Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center.
Pence is seen reaching for more in the back of a van, when an aide says: “Those are empty sir. We’re good to go.”
In response, Pence says: “Well can I carry the empty ones, just for the camera?”
He does not actually carry any boxes after being told they were empty, and Pence appears to be joking.
Jon Thompson, Pence’s communications director, said the edited clip of Pence was “absolute garage” and insisted Pence was “clearly joking.”
Kimmel’s apology acknowledged it appeared Pence was joking after he roasted him for it — despite backhandedly saying he knows “how dearly [the Trump] administration values truth.”
Initially, Kimmel joked on Thursday: “Mike Pence pretending to carry empty boxes of PPE into a hospital is the perfect metaphor for who he is, and what he’s doing.”
The comedian, unable to resist the symbolism of the gesture, added: “A big box of nothing, delivering another box of nothing.”
A clip of the medical center scene posted on Twitter that claims “Mike Pence caught on hot mic delivering empty boxes of PPE for a PR stunt” has received hundreds of thousands of retweets and likes, with more than nine million views.
But, despite being debunked, the video has not been deleted.
