Not to give too much credit where it doesn't belong, but...
I've always wondered if perhaps Pence is the smartest one of the bunch when dealing with Donny Boy.
He keeps his head down, does what he's told, worships how Donny likes to be worshiped and yet has done a lot of behind the scenes things to promote his own agendas.
Now all this... it'll be interesting to see if he does go down with the ship or jumps like the rat he is.
