Mike Pence Supports Adam Rippon, Gay Olympic Skater Who Refused A Meeting

U.S. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon reportedly refused to have a conversation with Vice President Mike Pence following his criticism against Pence for his stance on gay rights, a USA Today report said Wednesday citing two sources with knowledge of the situation.

However, in a statement Wednesday evening, the vice president’s office called the USA Today report completely false and said: "The Vice President’s office did not reach out to set up a conversation with Mr. Rippon. As we’ve said before, the Vice President is supporting all the U.S. athletes in the Olympics and is hoping they all win medals."

In a post on his official Twitter account on Thursday, Pence echoed his office’s statement, told Rippon the U.S. delegation was "for you," and cautioned him against being distracted by the "fake news."

"I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get 'em!" Pence told the athlete in a tweet.

He also added in another tweet:

After a Jan. 17 interview with USA Today Sports’ reporter Christine Brennan, in which Rippon criticized Pence, the vice president's staff reportedly asked the U.S. Olympic Committee to set up a meeting that same day between the athlete and the politician, which Rippon ultimately declined, Brennan reported on Wednesday, citing two sources who know of the situation. Brennan is also a CNN sports analyst.

After CNN also published a report of the alleged meeting, Jarrod Agen, the vice president's communications director, disputed USA Today's reporting saying it is "false and should be corrected."

The spat between the athlete and the politician apparently began last month, when Rippon, who is the first openly homosexual athlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics from the United States, blasted the White House for selecting Pence to lead the official U.S. delegation to the 2018 South Korean Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

"You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy?" Rippon said in the Jan. 17 interview with USA Today.

In that interview, Rippon added he would prefer not meeting the vice president during the usual meet-and-greet session between the official delegation and the Olympic athletes, which takes place just before the Olympics opening ceremony.

"If it were before my event, I would absolutely not go out of my way to meet somebody who I felt has gone out of their way to not only show that they aren’t a friend of a gay person but that they think that they’re sick. … I wouldn’t go out of my way to meet somebody like that," Rippon said.

While serving as governor of Indiana, Pence signed the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015 which permitted businesses to turn away gay and lesbian customers in the name of religious freedom.

The USA Today report last month further stated the perception that the vice president supported gay conversion therapies originated from a statement on his campaign website in 2000 which stated: "Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior."

The U.S. men's figure skating champion, however, was slightly more open to meeting Pence after the competition. "If I had the chance to meet him afterwards, after I'm finished competing, there might be a possibility to have an open conversation," Rippon said.

"He seems more mild-mannered than Donald Trump... But I don't think the current administration represents the values that I was taught growing up. Mike Pence doesn't stand for anything that I really believe in," He added.