Mike Pence says he's 'not convinced' Trump's actions during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot were criminal
WASHINGTON — Presidential hopeful and former Vice President Mike Pence expressed doubt Sunday over whether his former boss did anything worthy of criminal charges on Jan. 6, 2021 as former President Donald Trump faces a potential third indictment over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
“I’ve said many times the president’s words were reckless that day. I had no right to overturn the election,” Pence said on CNN’s “State of the Union”, referring to Trump pressuring Pence to reject the 2020 election results. “But while his words were reckless, based on what I know, I’m not yet convinced that they were criminal.”
When pressed by CNN’s Dana Bash about whether he thought Trump should be charged if the Department of Justice had evidence the former president committed a crime, Pence declined to answer, instead accusing federal authorities of giving an “unequal treatment of the law.”
“I heard again and again from people about a deep concern about unequal treatment of the law,” Pence said, adding that, if he was elected president, he would “clean house” in the Justice Department.
Mike Pence: 2024 GOP primary voters want 'new leadership'
Pence maintained Trump is “still wrong” for his actions leading up to and during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol but said he believes “history will hold him accountable,” suggesting Trump may not be the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
“I believe that Republican primary voters know that we need new leadership in this party,” Pence said. In multiple key early voting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Trump has remained the frontrunner in the GOP presidential field.
Pence contended the rioters who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, some of whom were chanting “hang Mike Pence,” were a small minority of conservative voters.
“The people in this movement, the people who rallied behind our cause in 2016 and 2020 are the most God-fearing, law abiding, patriotic people in this country,” Pence said.
What could Trump be indicted for in relation to Jan. 6?
Trump could soon be indicted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election after he was sent a letter from Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith informing him he was a target in the department’s investigation.
It is unclear what Trump could be charged with considering the investigation spans across Trump’s actions leading up to the Capitol attack, including his efforts to overturn his losses in key battleground states and whether he incited rioters to attack the Capitol.
Related: Another federal indictment threatens to engulf Donald Trump and his presidential campaign