Former vice president Mike Pence said his harshest words about Donald Trump's role in the Jan. 6 insurrection on Saturday evening. Pence told the crowd at the annual Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington, DC, that history will hold the former president accountable for the attack on the Capitol. That's usually an event where politicians joke and roast other figures in Washington.
Pence did throw a few jokes out there, saying, "Honestly, I learned a lot working beside Donald Trump, like about subpoenas, for instance," but he did take a serious turn about Jan. 6. Speaking of subpoenas, Pence sure did block one recently. So, it's hard to give him too much credit here.
Pence called Jan. 6 "a tragic day," and said Trump was "wrong" to claim that his former vice president had the authority to overturn the 2020 election results, and added that "history will hold Donald Trump accountable."
"President Trump was wrong. I had no right to overturn the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable," Pence said.
Pence also appeared to scold Tucker Carlson for downplaying the violence on Jan. 6.
Via CNN:
"Tourists don't injure 140 police officers by sightseeing," Pence said. "Tourists don't break down doors to get to the Speaker of the House or voice threats against public officials."
Pence chastised Republicans who minimized the insurrection days after Fox News host Tucker Carlson aired new security footage from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to defend the mob.
"Make no mistake about it, what happened that day was a disgrace, and it mocks decency to portray it in any other way," Pence said at the dinner.
Pence also said people "have a right to know what took place" during the insurrection, days after he asked a judge to block a subpoena for his testimony to the special counsel investigating the insurrection.
"The American people have a right to know what took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6, and I expect members of the fourth estate to continue to do their job," Pence said at the dinner.
Pence praised the media's coverage of the Jan. 6 attack, a noticeable difference from how Trump demeaned press members.
Trump vowed to "never, ever" downplay the violence law enforcement officers suffered at the hands of Trump supporters at the Capitol.
"For as long as I live, I will never, ever diminish the injuries sustained, the lives lost, or the heroism of law enforcement on that tragic day," Pence said.
Well done, Mike. It only took you 795 days.
