Bice: Pence attends fundraiser for Walker

Vice President-elect Mike Pence made a surprise appearance at a New York fundraising dinner on Tuesday aimed at helping Gov. Scott Walker pay off the debt from his failed presidential campaign.

Joe Fadness, a spokesman for Walker, said the event at the tony Hunt & Fish Club — a high-end steak and seafood restaurant in New York City — was organized by Anthony Scaramucci, managing partner of SkyBridge Capital and a member of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team.

Scaramucci was a top fundraiser for Walker, who quit his bid for the GOP presidential nomination after just 71 days.

Fadness said Scaramucci asked Pence to come to the private event and that Walker learned of the invitation at the last second. The veep-elect showed up toward the end of dinner, hanging around for about 35 minutes, according to Page Six, which first reported on the fundraiser. About 15 VIPs attended the event.

"It was a last-minute thing," Fadness said of Pence's appearance. "Scaramucci invited him, and it made sense (because) the two are genuinely friends."

Walker owed just under $382,000 from his short-lived 2015 presidential campaign, according to his October filing with the Federal Election Commission. That's down from nearly $900,000 in May.

The governor has said he hopes to pay off the full amount by the end of the year.

This isn't the first time Walker and Pence have lent each other a hand. During the campaign, Walker helped Pence by playing the role of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine in preparation for the Oct. 4 vice presidential debate.

Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @ DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.