WASHINGTON: A former US vice president, Mike Pence, reportedly said on Saturday that Trump would be “accountable” to history for his role in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
The two former running mates have been at odds ever since Pence rejected Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and remain in power, and these comments are only likely to deepen the chasm between them.
Vice President Mike Pence said as much during his speech at the annual Gridiron Dinner, a Washington, DC, black-tie gala hosted by journalists and attended by prominent politicians.
I had no legal standing to invalidate the vote. And his careless words that day in the Capitol put my family and I in danger. Also, “I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable,” Pence was quoted as saying by various news outlets.
On January 6, 2021, as thousands of protesters converged on the US Capitol, some of them called for Vice President Pence to be hanged, prompting him to flee the building.
In light of Trump’s announcement that he will run for reelection in 2024, Pence has hinted that he may challenge Trump for the Republican nomination.
Seeing as how the Gridiron Dinner is typically a humorous event with skits and musical entertainment, Pence at first attempted to poke fun at the event.
The Republican nominee for president in 2024 would have his or her “unqualified and unqualified” support, he said.
Pence mentioned near the end of his speech that there was one topic he would not be humorous about.
“The American people have a right to know what happened at the Capitol on January 6th,” he said, as reported by The Washington Post.
“But there can be no doubt: what transpired that day was a disgrace, and to portray it otherwise is a mockery of decency.”
Pence’s cutting comments directed at Trump at the gala caught everyone by surprise.
“Was at the dinner and can confirm @Mike Pence definitely caught the room by surprise—lots of dropped jaws,” tweeted Maryam Mujica, a former State Department official.
