RICHMOND, Va. -- Vice President Mike Pence will not be in Virginia this weekend to attend campaign events with Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie.
An aide for Vice President Pence told CNN the vice president wanted to open up his plans upon his return to the U.S. to give flexibility to his schedule.
He will be at Camp David on Friday.
On Tuesday, August 15, Americans for Prosperity invited media to the group's 11th annual Defending the American Dream Summit in Richmond on Saturday. The event was to feature Vice President Pence and Gillespie as keynote speakers, according to Americans for Prosperity spokesperson Gabrielle Braud.
This development occurred in the wake in the wake of Saturday's violent protests in Charlottesville. Protests that initially centered around Confederate monuments.
On Wednesday, Gillespie issued a statement on his thoughts about Confederate monuments in Virginia.
"I believe that decisions about historical statues are best made at the local level, but they should stay and be placed in historical context," he wrote. "These are legitimate differences, and I know Virginians are engaging in an ongoing, thoughtful conversation about these sensitive issues, one marked by respect and understanding."
Click here to read the full statement.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Governor Ralph Northam also released a statement on the matter.
"I support City of Charlottesville's decision to remove the Robert E. Lee statue. I believe these statutes should be taken down and moved into museums. As governor, I am going to be a vocal advocate for that approach and work with localities on this issue," he said. "We should also do more to elevate the parts of our history that have all too often been underrepresented. That means memorializing civil rights advocates like Barbara Johns and Oliver Hill, who helped move our Commonwealth closer towards equality."
Today, in response to the City of Charlottesville’s decision to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park, Dr. Ralph Northam released the following statement:
