Mike Pence defends Donald Trump and January 6 rioters in shocking new interview

Washington DC - Presidential hopeful Mike Pence has revealed that he has no beef with his former boss Donald Trump, or the hundreds of Trump's fans that stormed the Capitol building on January 6 to stop him from certifying the 2020 election results.

Former Vice President Mike Pence (r.) defended Donald Trump and his supporters who rioted on January 6 during a recent interview.
Former Vice President Mike Pence (r.) defended Donald Trump and his supporters who rioted on January 6 during a recent interview.  © Collage: MANDEL NGAN / AFP & SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

On Sunday, Pence sat down for an interview with CNN host Dana Bash, and surprisingly defended Trump and MAGA fans, even aligning himself with the far-right group who largely turned on him during the Congress insurrection.

Pence described Trump's words and actions on January 6 as "wrong" and "reckless," but argued that he is "not yet convinced that they were criminal."

Bash challenged the former vice president on whether he thought Trump should face accountability if indicted in special counsel Jack Smith's probe into January 6, but Pence could not give her a straight answer.

Harris backed by Liz Cheney at Wisconsin rally as Trump lies about Hurricane Helene response
Kamala Harris Harris backed by Liz Cheney at Wisconsin rally as Trump lies about Hurricane Helene response

As her final question, the host asked Pence about "the potential for violence" if Trump is charged again, a possibility that Trump himself has recently been touting.

When Pence responded that it didn't worry him, she pressed on, stating "That's pretty remarkable that you're not concerned about it, given the fact that they wanted to hang you on January 6."

"There has been an effort to take those that perpetrated violence on January 6 and use a broad brush to describe everyone in our movement," Pence defended, describing "our" movement as having the most "god-fearing, law abiding, patriotic people in this country."

Mike Pence refuses to challenge Donald Trump or the MAGA base

As Donald Trump currently leads Republican polls by a wide margin, Mike Pence has refused to go too far in criticizing or challenging Trump, or break with the party's mainstream opinions about the many legal issues that Trump currently faces.

Back in June, Pence ripped Trump during a CNN town hall event when he said he "chose the Constitution" over Trump on January 6. He has also spoken openly about how he and his family were endagered that day.

Pence's campaign recently met the Republican National Committee's polling and fundraising thresholds to participate in the party's first debate in August, which Trump, as of now, will not be attending.

Cover photo: Collage: MANDEL NGAN / AFP & SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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