Vice President Mike Pence was about to leave the capitol on Air Force Two for New Hampshire earlier this month when he was suddenly forced to quit his plans, prompting speculation that it might have been due to a mechanical problem, a health issue, or even an international crisis.
The White House has still not commented on the details, but according to a Politico report published Monday, Pence’s trip was canceled because a man he was likely to meet was being prosecuted as a drug dealer.
Planned visit to opioid recovery center
Pence had planned to visit the Granite Recovery Center, an opioid addiction treatment center in Salem. There, he would probably have met Jeff Hatch, a former New York Giants football player-turned-treatment professional and a key employee.
Hatch, 39, struggled with addiction since his 20s when he began to abuse opioids after suffering a back injury. Until Monday, he was the chief business development officer for Granite and also regularly spoke about staying off drugs.
Hatch has been on stage with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) to speak about the dangers of drugs, especially opioids. A listing offering him as a speaker read, “He has been beaten down in the past, but now stands tall in front of audiences to personally share his compelling story.”
Federal drug charges
But according to Politico, Hatch pleaded guilty on Friday to charges stemming from what federal prosecutors said was an interstate drug dealing business. A DEA investigation into Hatch moving more than $100,000 of fentanyl from Massachusetts to New Hampshire led to the guilty plea Friday, for which he will face up to four years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Hatch has since been terminated because of his involvement with distributing fentanyl illegally to local suppliers, but Pence would have been shaking Hatch’s hand as part of a roundtable at Granite if he had kept to his itinerary.
“I am shocked and disappointed to learn (Monday) that Jeff Hatch has pled guilty to a drug offense,” facility owner Eric Spofford said. “Granite Recovery Centers terminated Jeff’s employment today immediately upon learning about this matter.”
Fox News reported separately that Hatch’s involvement was “only part of the reason why the trip was scrapped,” but did not provide further details.
White House stays quiet
Other than confirming that the trip had not been canceled over a national security issue or for the president or vice president’s health, the White House remained tight-lipped about the canceled trip for weeks.
“You’ll know in about two weeks,” President Donald Trump told reporters at the time. “There was a very interesting problem that they had in New Hampshire.”
And on Monday, Pence still wouldn’t elaborate on the matter, telling CBS News’ Major Garrett, “It was a circumstance on the ground in New Hampshire that made our– our trip there no longer appropriate. I hope to have a chance to speak about it in the future but I can’t talk about it now.”
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