Washington (CNN) Vice President Mike Pence hopes South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will offer more than attacks on his religious faith or the character of President Donald Trump as he embarks on his quest for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Pence and Buttigieg "worked very closely together when I was (Indiana's) governor, and I considered him a friend," Pence told CNN's Dana Bash in an exclusive interview. "And he knows I don't have a problem with him."

When Bash asked Pence whether he agreed with Buttigieg's assertion that God made him gay, Pence replied, "all of us have our own religious convictions. Pete has his convictions, I have mine."

"I hope that Pete will offer more to the American people than attacks on my Christian faith or attacks on the President as he seeks the highest office in the land," Pence said, later adding, "he'd do well to reflect on the importance of respecting the freedom of religion of every American."

In the wide-ranging interview that aired Friday on CNN's "New Day," Pence also weighed in on the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Thursday morning and the ongoing controversy over Attorney General William Barr's handling of the Mueller report.

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