Pence lawyers up for Russia probe

Vice President Mike Pence has hired outside legal counsel to represent him in the federal government's expanding Russia probe, per The Washington Post.

• His choice: Pence retained Richard Cullen, a Richmond attorney at the firm McGuire Woods who previously served as a U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.
• The reasoning: Pence's office told WaPo that his choice to hire outside counsel shows that he wants to cooperate with the government's investigation.
• Pence's place in the Russia story: The vice president claimed that he was misled by former national security advisor Michael Flynn regarding Flynn's contacts with Russian officials — a lie that ultimately led President Trump to fire Flynn.