Amidst all the latest melodramas—the Paul Manafort conviction, the Michael Cohen flip—Pence has rarely been seen or heard, and his name has rarely pierced the news cycle. An exhaustive Thursday report by The Washington Post, charting the legal storm that threatens to consume the White House if or when Robert Mueller releases a report and Democrats capture the House, devotes nary a word to the unctuous understudy who would rise if Donald Trump fell.

The official word – from Pence spokeswoman Alyssa Farah, informing CNN – is that “Vice President Pence is focused on advancing the President’s agenda for a growing economy, a safer America and reelecting Republican majorities in the House and Senate.” The unofficial word, from a longtime Pence aide, is that “he likes to be out.” In translation, he likes to be as far away from the White House chaos as he can physically manage, and when he is confronted with uncomfortable questions about the mounting scandals – as he was last week during a trip to Texas and Louisiana, with Air Force Two’s engine roar intruding on the questioners – he stayed mute.