NEW YORK — Jake Tapper’s verbal tug-of-war with Vice President-elect Mike Pence last week illustrated a persistent style the CNN anchor is making his signature, and one that he hopes his colleagues take up, too.

Tapper asked Pence eight times about the son of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the incoming administration’s pick as national security adviser, before getting a somewhat direct answer. Tapper wanted to establish whether Pence was aware that Flynn’s son, who had trafficked in conspiracy theories online, had received a national security clearance for work on the transition to a Trump administration.

It wasn’t the first time Tapper has shown pit bull-like tendencies when an interview subject avoided a question. Interviewing Donald Trump in June, Tapper needed to ask his question about the judge in a case against Trump University, or try to interrupt a filibuster, nearly two dozen times.

“Far too many people in television provide a safe space for politicians instead of pushing back and saying ‘you didn’t answer this question,’” said Tapper, host of the weekday afternoon show “The Lead” and Sunday’s “State of the Union” interview program.