Former vice president Mike Pence claimed 45th President Donald Trump, his former boss, put his family in danger and will ultimately be held “accountable” for the mostly peaceful demonstrations on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Pence made the statements during Saturday night’s Gridiron Dinner, an annual event in Washington, D.C. that is generally attended by politicians and the journalists who cover them. The Gridiron Club purports itself to be among “the oldest and most prestigious journalistic organizations” in the country.
He began by asserting that “President Trump was wrong” about the 2020 election, reported the Associated Press, and added that Trump was wrong about Pence’s ability to return electors to the states with a request to investigate credible claims of widespread voter fraud.
He continued, claiming he “had no right to overturn the election,” despite the fact that the legal requests made for that day did not necessitate such action.
Trump White House / Flickr
Then Pence claimed Trump’s “reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day,” and asserted that “history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”
Later, Pence expanded his ire to include Tucker Carlson, his team at Fox News, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Discussing Carlson’s series exposing Capitol police escort Jacob Chansley – the QAnon Shaman – through the complex, Pence asserted, “It was not, as some would have you believe, tourists visiting the Capitol.”
“Tourists don’t injure 140 police officers by sightseeing,” Pence scoffed. “Tourists don’t break down doors to get to the speaker of the House.” He added that “it mocks decency” to portray the events of that day as peaceful.
Predictably, many conservatives reacted to Pence’s statements with outrage, confusion, and disgust.
Some, including American Greatness reporter Julie Kelly, who has closely followed the January 6 beat for over two years, suggested Pence shares more blame for the day’s unrest than Trump.
This news and commentary by Tom Pappert originally appeared on Valiant News.
