Trump and Pence 'departed amicably' and 'they've spoken since' leaving office, former Pence chief of staff says

• Marc Short said that Trump and Pence "departed amicably" from the White House last month.
• While Trump is slated to speak at CPAC this week, Pence reportedly declined to attend.
• "The President told the Vice President he did a great job for him," Short said.

Marc Short, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, said on Saturday that "despite their differences" the former vice president and former President Donald Trump "departed amicably" from the White House last month and have since spoken with each other.

While Trump is slated to speak at the high-profile Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) being held in Florida this week, Pence reportedly declined to participate this year, according to Politico.

According to a CNN report, organizers are hoping that Pence will change his mind and attend the conference, while a source told the network that the former vice president is aiming to keep a low profile over the next 6 months.

While Pence attended President Joe Biden's inauguration last month and interacted with his successor, Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump departed for his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and skipped the ceremony.

Trump, who spent months disputing the validity of the election and sought to toss out votes in several states, pressured Pence to reject the results of the Electoral College during the January 6 certification process.

In a letter to Congress, Pence contended that he could not unilaterally toss the results.

Before the Capitol riot began, Trump spoke to a crowd that assembled not too far from the White House.

"Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us," Trump said. "And if he doesn't, that will be a sad day for our country."

Trump reportedly did not speak to Pence for several days after the riot, where Pence and his family had to be moved to a secure location in the Capitol building, according to NBC News.

When CNN's Pamela Brown asked Short about how Pence dealt with Trump's election-related criticism, especially during the hostile situation at the Capitol, he expressed that the former vice president was focused on more pertinent issues.

"The Vice President was in a secure location on the phone with [GOP House] leader McCarthy, [GOP Senate] leader McConnell, Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi, and [Democratic Senate] leader Schumer trying to figure out how we can get back to work as quickly as we can," he said. "His focus was really on how quickly can we get back to finishing the work of the American people and not allowing those who had perpetrated those crimes to be victorious on that day."

Short downplayed any sort of tension between the two men.

"The reality is that the President and Vice President met," he said. "They talked several times before they departed. They departed amicably. The President told the Vice President he did a great job for him. They've spoken since."

He added: "Clearly, there were differences about what the Vice President's role was on January 6, but I think at that moment, the Vice President was focused on doing his job and staying at his post until it was complete."