Story highlights The signing of the executive order is a key victory for Vice President Mike Pence

Pence, a staunch social conservative, has a long history of pushing for religious liberty policies

(CNN) President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on religious liberty as early as Thursday, pushing out new policy that is likely to draw a stiff rebuke from the LGBT community.

A senior administration official confirmed the plan to CNN and said it is "definitely possible" the White House could roll out the order Thursday to coincide with the National Day of Prayer, but cautioned that the timing of executive orders out of the Trump White House can often change.

The official declined to describe the details of the executive order. But a draft of the order that had previously leaked to The Nation would have provided sweeping legal protections for people to claim religious exemptions, provisions that civil liberties groups claimed would allow for discrimination against LGBT Americans.

The signing of the executive order is a key victory for Vice President Mike Pence, who has advocated for the signing of a religious liberty executive order inside the White House.

Pence, a staunch social conservative, has a long history of pushing for religious liberty policies that have been assailed by civil liberties groups and praised by conservative and evangelical leaders.

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