Mike Pence’s camp distanced itself from Vincent Caldara. | Getty Pence charter pilot fired, facing assault charges

A pilot who ferried GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, his family, staff, secret service contingent and traveling press has been fired following revelations that he faces criminal charges for intentionally hitting a man with his car.

The pilot, Vincent Caldara, is a former police officer and chairman of Trump's Florida Law Enforcement Coalition. The news of Caldara’s criminal charges was first reported by The Guardian in an article on potential criminal activities of some of those in law enforcement supporting Trump.


“I’m a very strong Trump supporter, I’m a retired law enforcement officer, and I’m currently on Governor Mike Pence’s flight operations team as one of his pilots during the campaign,” Caldara told a crowd at the opening of a Trump campaign office in Brevard County in early September. “Donald Trump and Governor Mike Pence are the law and order candidates.”

Pence’s camp distanced itself from Caldara: “All of our pilots are assigned by the airline,” Pence spokesman Marc Lotter told POLITICO.

Caldara “is not and has not been” a paid staffer for the campaign at the state or national level, Lotter added. He referred questions about any volunteer role Caldara has to Trump’s Florida campaign, which did not respond to a request for comment.

“He is no longer employed at Eastern Air Lines,” said Nick Loudon, executive director of special projects at Eastern Airlines, the private charter company that flies Pence. He said he could not comment further due to “legal considerations.”

Caldara had not flown the Pence plane for several weeks before the news of his assault charge broke.

Caldara, 55, is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after allegedly striking a friend with his vehicle “three times, against his will, causing back and leg injuries,” in July 2015, according to court documents.

The two had been in argument, and the victim, whose name is withheld, “stood in front of Caldara’s vehicle as Caldara attempted to leave.”

The police report stated that, according to the victim, “Caldara started the vehicle and then drove forward, bumping him with the front bumper of the vehicle…Caldara then drove forward again, striking [the victim] with the front bumper of the vehicle, knocking him to the ground. [The victim] advised he fell to his knees and was struck again by Caldara’s vehicle, knocking him down again. [The victim] stated he crawled out from under the vehicle and then Caldara drove off.”

Caldara has pleaded not guilty.

Caldara is also being sued by a woman who alleges that Caldara hit her with his motorcycle in 2014, “seriously and severely” injuring her, according to court documents. The complaint alleges that Caldara was driving “carelessly and negligently” when he struck the victim.

Caldara’s Twitter account, which appears to have been deleted, listed him as “Chairman of the Florida Law Enforcement Coalition to Elect Donald J. Trump for President.”