WASHINGTON, Feb 18, (AP): His group spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump's pick to lead the nation's health agencies. He's delivering speeches urging the president to stand with longstanding foreign allies and lobbying members of Congress while aides write letters and opinion columns.

This weekend, he posted an article he penned more than a decade ago on the limits of presidential power after Trump claimed that, "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” Mike Pence is emerging as one of the last Republicans in Washington willing to publicly criticize the new administration. It's an especially jarring role for the former vice president, whose refusal to break with Trump defined their time together in office until the two had a falling out over Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his efforts to remain in power.

Pence and those who work with him at Advancing American Freedom, his political advocacy group, stress they are not looking to take on the "Never Trump" mantle. They intend to praise the administration when they agree with it, while raising concerns when they don't, advocating for longtime conservative principles that have fallen out of favor as Trump's "Make America Great Again” brand of populism has taken hold. "We’re calling balls and strikes here,” Pence told The Associated Press.

Pence opposed Kennedy - who has since been confirmed as secretary of health and human services - due to Kennedy’s past comments voicing support for abortion rights. His group is now lobbying against Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump's pick for labor secretary, accusing her of being pro-union, and plans to spend the coming months pushing to increase military spending, shrink the deficit, and make permanent 2017 tax cuts, as well as trying to convince Trump to stop slapping tariffs on allies.

The AP recently sat down with Pence to discuss his efforts and his relationship with Trump - including a closely watched handshake at the funeral of President Jimmy Carter and his wife's lack of reaction as the 45th and 47th president took his seat. Here is a transcript of that conversation, which has been lightly edited for space and clarity: Pence: "To be an anchor to windward ... I came across that line I think in a Herman Melville book a long time ago.”

"The wind blows in the direction of more government. And I think it’s a role of conservatives to anchor the party so that when the wind blows, you put the anchor to windward so you stay grounded and hopefully do some small part to hold, you know, hold the ship of state on the principles that really minted my career in this movement.” "A strong defense, to American leadership of the free world, limited government, fiscal responsibility, growth, the right to life, traditional values - those were the values that drew me to the Republican Party. And I still think that they are the timeless ideals of the party of Lincoln. And so I want to do my part, even as a former elected official, to use whatever remains of my bully pulpit to be a champion for those principles.”