Pence: I Know Nothing About QAnon and Trump Doesn't Support It

Vice President Mike Pence Friday denied knowing "anything" about the conspiracy group QAnon and denied that President Donald Trump supports it after the president praised its followers for supporting him. 

"Honestly, John, I don't know anything about that," Pence told CNN "New Day" co-host John Berman after he asked the vice president about QAnon. "We dismiss conspiracy theories around here out of hand."

And when Berman pressed him further, Pence responded that he'd "called it a conspiracy theory. I said I don't have time for it" and accused the media of chasing after "shiny objects" with its reporting about the conspiracy theorists, which the FBI has labeled as a domestic terror threat. 

Questions about the conspiracists have surfaced increasingly after the primary win of Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia, who has embraced some of the followers' theories. Some Republicans have spoken out against her, including Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who said the QAnon conspiracy has no place in Congress, but Trump congratulated her for her win. 

Wednesday, Trump praised QAnon followers for their support, saying that he's heard "these are people that love their country," but he doesn't know much more about it beyond that they "supposedly like me."

QAnon has several conspiracy theories, including accusations of child sex abuse among satanic politicians and entertainers. 

Pence also denied in a "CBS This Morning" interview that he knows anything about QAnon theories, and accused the show of spending time on them rather than talking about what Democrats laid out in their convention this past week. 

"Joe Biden last night said that democracy's on the ballot, character's on the ballot," said Pence. "The economy is on the ballot ... we've seen nine million Americans already go back to work ... the only real threat to our economy is a Joe Biden presidency."

But, Pence said, "I don't know anything about that conspiracy theory. I don't know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand."

• Sen. Sasse: QAnon Conspiracy Theory Is 'Nuts'
• GOP Rep. Kinzinger: It's Time to Denounce QAnon