Less than an hour before the public phase of the House impeachment inquiry begins, Vice President Mike Pence is getting out of town, continuing a pattern of staying on the road and above the fray.
Here's what his day looks like: Pence is expected to be wheels-up, heading for California at 9:25 a.m. ET. He's traveling on a two-day West Coast swing with second lady Karen Pence.
Pence will attend a pair of closed press fundraisers today in Huntington Beach and Monterey and will stay overnight in the Bay Area. Tomorrow, Pence will tour and deliver remarks at NASA’s Ames Research Center, returning to Washington in the evening.
Remember: The challenge for Pence throughout the impeachment inquiry, as it's always been in the administration, is balancing the need to appear loyal to Trump with staying clear of the President's countless controversies.
The plan to protect him, according to sources close to the vice president, has been to get him on the road. Pence has traveled frequently in the weeks since the House launched its investigation, from touting the administration's US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement to meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
Pence, who is expected have access to cable television aboard Air Force Two, will be in the air as hearings on Capitol Hill kick off, and is expected to land at 2:35 p.m. ET — well after Erdogan’s visit gets underway.