Mike Pence knows it’s coming, and he’s dreading it like a root canal.

Eventually, the vice president is going to be asked to appear before Special Counsel Robert Mueller for an interview, and word is that he and some of his aides are terrified what Mueller might ask. As CNN reports:

“Pence — who was in charge of Trump’s transition — knew [former National Security Adviser Mike] Flynn had contacted Russia, but was left unaware of the sanctions discussion, according to transition officials. It’s led to anxiety within Pence’s circle that he’ll eventually be called to sit for an interview with Mueller.

“‘They are preparing for that,’ a person in Pence’s orbit said, a sentiment echoed by another source close to the Vice President: ‘Chairing the transition would make it possible regardless of who it was.’”

Members of Congress who are conducting hearings on the 2016 election also say Pence has a lot to answer for Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said:

“I think he has new questions to answer.”

For their part, aides to Pence have tried to maintain a calm demeanor in public and repeat the same defense: Pence was kept in the dark for anything that might have happened regarding Russia. One adviser commented:

“He was genuinely stunned and pissed when he found out that Flynn misled him and let him go out on national TV with inaccurate information.”

If indeed Pence has nothing to hide, why is he so anxious about sitting down with Mueller? Much like his boss, Pence loves to maintain his innocence, but when it comes down to actually cooperating with the ongoing investigations, he digs in his heels and tries to pretend he doesn’t know anything. As the old saying goes: Actions speak louder than words.