Senator JD Vance questioned whether former Vice President Mike Pence’s life was truly in danger during the ransacking of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins asked Vance (R-Ohio) Wednesday night whether or not he would accept a hypothetical offer to be Trump’s running mate this time around, given that the 45th president refused to call Pence when his “life was in danger.” American parliament.”
“I am extremely skeptical that Mike Pence’s life was ever in danger,” Vance responded. “In politics, people really like to exaggerate things from time to time. I know a lot of people in the Democratic Party…”
“I think Mike Pence would disagree with that,” Collins said.
“A lot of people in the Democratic Party, Kaitlan, act like January 6th is the scariest moment of their lives,” Vance responded. “January 6 was a bad day. It was a riot.
At the height of the unrest, Pence was escorted to a loading dock beneath the Capitol complex, according to a Secret Service inspector. Investigators say the crowd approached within about 40 feet of the vice president.
Vance also argued that it was “absurd” to suggest that Trump “put anyone’s lives in danger when he told them to protest peacefully.”
Before the riots, Trump had publicly attacked Pence and demanded that he reject certified electoral votes from key states.
Pence refused to do so, saying he had no constitutional authority.
During the ransacking of the Capitol, chants of “hang Mike Pence” were heard. A House select committee investigated Trump’s actions that day and heard testimony that he supported the backlash against his vice president.
Pence, who unsuccessfully fought for the 2024 GOP nomination before dropping out last year, chastised his former boss.
“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said at the Gridiron dinner last year. “I had no right to cancel the elections. And his reckless words put my family and everyone at the Capitol in danger that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable.
“Kaitlan, have a few people said bad things?” Of course,” Vance said Wednesday evening. “But should we blame Donald Trump for every bad thing that has ever been said by a participant in American democracy? I think this is an absurd standard.
The Buckeye state senator also didn’t rule out becoming Trump’s running mate, but emphasized, “I haven’t talked to Donald Trump about becoming vice president “.
“I think it’s important to support President Trump, as Republicans, because I think he was a good president.”
A spokesperson for Pence did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New York Post
