A 'Holy Terror'? Scathing NYT Article Attacks Pence's Faith, Former Press Secretary Reacts

WASHINGTON – Just months after "The View's" Joy Behar apologized for demeaning Vice President Mike Pence's faith, The New York Times is out with an even more vicious attack by columnist Frank Bruni. 
 
The headline speaks for itself: "Mike Pence: Holy Terror." In the column, Bruni calls Pence "self-infatuated," a "bigot" and "liar."

He essentially makes the argument that President Donald Trump may be bad, but Pence would be an even worse leader because of his deeply held and practiced religious beliefs.

Marc Lotter, Pence's former press secretary, suggests Bruni's column is indicative of the anti-faith climate plaguing the nation.

"It just shows the never-ending attack on Christianity, Christians and really people of faith by the liberals and their namesake leader in the New York Times," Lotter told CBN News. "They're attacking a man, a good man, the vice president of the United States, for primarily being a Christian and someone who believes."

Bruni argues Pence is determined to "mold the entire nation in the shape of his own faith, a regressive, repressive version of Christianity," a claim Lotter quickly shot down. 
 
"He's worried about the success of our entire country and everyone in it," said Lotter. 
 
Meanwhile, Franklin Graham and other faith leaders also jumped to Pence's defense. 
 
"I am disappointed that the New York Times would stoop so low. I've never seen such hatred poured out against such a good man," Graham wrote in a statement on Facebook. 
 
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry took a stand for the vice president too and told CBN News he's experienced the same kind of criticism. 
 
"Mike lives his life through his lens of faith and again I go back to, you know, what part of the Ten Commandments – which one of those do you not like?" said Perry.

Lotter, who's known Pence for more than 25 years, says Pence is a man who practices what he preaches and that when he took his oath of office, he meant the words, "So help me, God." 
 
"That's the kind of leader we should aspire to want," said Lotter. "As long as we're focused on everyone's success, on everyone's well-being, and those words that are given to us in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence – that's where our focus should be for elected leaders and that's what we have in Vice President Mike Pence."