Trump Campaign Increases Intensity of Vice Presidential Vetting Process

The campaign of former President Donald Trump has initiated the process of vetting potential vice presidential candidates. Vetting paperwork has been sent to a group of top contenders in recent weeks, as reported by two sources familiar with the effort.

Among those who have received requests for information are North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, according to one of the sources who requested anonymity to discuss the outreach.

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, and Ben Carson, Trump’s former rival who later served in his cabinet, were also reported to be on the list.

According to the second source, various levels of paperwork have been exchanged with each candidate.

Representatives for the candidates mentioned have not yet responded to requests for comment. It has been noted that Trump’s list of potential running mates is subject to change and the final decision will be made by him.

This development follows Trump’s recent conviction on multiple counts of falsifying business records in a hush money trial. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Trump has stated that he is not in a rush to announce his running mate and may wait until the Republican National Convention in July to reveal the person who will join him on the GOP ticket.

During an appearance on Newsmax, Trump mentioned Scott, Burgum, Rubio, Vance, and Carson as contenders for the vice presidential position.

NBC first reported the sending of vetting materials to top contenders, while ABC reported on the list of potential candidates.