Pence Speaks Up About Events of Jan. 6

(LibertySociety.com) – On January 6, 2021, many backers of former President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol following his defeat in the previous election. Since then, it has been referred to by many as an insurrection — though not everyone agrees with this description of events.

President Joe Biden gave a speech near Valley Forge on January 5, speaking about the events of that day. He chastised Trump for claiming the protestors at the Capitol that day were patriots. On January 4, his campaign released a new advertisement claiming that the MAGA movement aimed to end democracy. Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans have engaged in efforts to remove Trump from primary ballots in several states across the country, alleging that he violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution by engaging in an insurrection.

Former Vice President Mike Pence sat for a CNN interview with Jake Tapper on January 7, where he was asked about the incident. Pence began by attempting to dispel beliefs that the FBI instigated the violence at the Capitol, asking viewers to take him at his word. According to a recent poll conducted by the Washington Post, around one-third of Republicans believe that the FBI was responsible. Trump has advocated on multiple occasions for the prisoners who are still behind bars. During a rally in Iowa on January 7, he called for Biden to release them from jail. Pence expressed his anger at the havoc that people wreaked on the Capitol building, telling Tapper that he was grateful to the FBI for its efforts in charging the people who engaged in illegal activity.

Pence discussed Trump’s role in the events of that day, stating that history would be the judge. He offered a vague prediction about the upcoming Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, insinuating that Trump would not prevail in either state. He advocated against removing Trump from state primary ballots and told Tapper that he has “never called what happened on January 6 an insurrection.” He noted that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) case against Trump did not include any charges of insurrection. He concluded with “I was there. It was a riot the way it broke out, and I’ve never seen it any other way.”