Story highlights Pence has given less than a full-throated defense of the younger Trump

"The vice president was not aware of the meeting," Pence's spokesman said

(CNN) Vice President Mike Pence is known as a loyal foot soldier to the President. But with new revelations about Donald Trump Jr. meeting with a Russian lawyer during the campaign, Pence is ever so cautiously keeping his distance, giving less than a full-throated defense of the younger Trump.

Pence was not aware of Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer during the campaign, a spokesman for the vice president said Monday, which came before he joined the ticket. Pence had said in January that no one from the campaign had any contact with Russians trying to influence the 2016 election.

"The vice president was not aware of the meeting," said Marc Lotter, Pence's spokesman. "He is not focused on stories about the campaign, particularly stories about the time before he joined the ticket."

Pence tweeted Wednesday morning on the controversy, albeit indirectly. He did not, however, offer a specific defense of Trump Jr.

"Many Media & Dems will try to stop us but now more than ever we owe the American people to continue to deliver what @POTUS & I campaigned on," the Vice President said, retweeting the President's Wednesday morning tweet on progress against ISIS.

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