WATCH: Mike Pence Refuses to Call David Duke ‘Deplorable’ on CNN

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During an interview with CNN‘s Wolf Blitzer on Monday afternoon, Indiana Governor Mike Pence refused to call David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader who is now running for a U.S. Senate seat, “deplorable.”

After Blitzer asked Pence if he would consider Duke one of the “deplorables” Hillary Clinton was referencing, the Vice Presidential nominee refused to answer.

“I’m not really sure why the media keeps dropping David Duke’s name. Donald Trump has denounced David Duke repeatedly. We don’t want his support and we don’t want the support of people who think like him,” Pence said.

“You called him a deplorable. You would call him a deplorable?” Blitzer asked.

“No, I’m not in the name-calling business, Wolf,” Pence said. “You know me better than that.”

The Hillary Clinton campaign quickly pounced on Pence’s comment, tweeting, “If you won’t say the KKK is deplorable, you have no business running the country.”

In July, David Duke announced his campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate to represent Louisiana. The former KKK Grand Wizard voiced his support for Trump, but even the state Republican party has distanced itself from Duke.

Pence’s interview follows Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” comment, for which Trump has called for an apology.

Pence also told Blitzer on Monday that Trump is “under no obligation” to release his tax returns. While Trump has yet to release his own tax returns, the Trump campaign posted Pence’s last week. You can find them right here.

After Pence’s comments on CNN drew attention, he took to Twitter to call out the media for “taking quotes out of context.”

Duke issued a statement to Buzzfeed News, praising Pence for refusing to call him deplorable. The statement reads:

It’s good to see an individual like Pence and others start to reject this absolute controlled media. The truth is that the Republican Party in Louisiana — I received the vast majority of Republican votes for United States senator before and for governor before that in my state. The truth is the Republican Party is big tent. I served in the Republican caucus. I was in the Republican caucus in the legislature. I had a perfect Republican voting record. It’s ridiculous that they attack me because of my involvement in that nonviolent Klan four decades ago.

Duke also tweeted about Pence’s interview:

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In a September 13 press conference, Pence once again refused to call Duke deplorable, but noted that he and Trump have both denounced Duke in the past.