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For ultimately refusing to go along with former President Donald Trump’s bidding, now-former vice president Mike Pence was among the targets of the pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6. Pence recently defended the Republican National Committee’s statement referring to the insurrection as “legitimate political discourse.”
Pence defended the RNC resolution that censured Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for being part of the Congressional committee investigating the insurrection which the RNC called “legitimate political discourse.” Pence was pressed on the resolution following his speech at Stanford University. The resolution was widely criticized, including condemnations from fellow Republicans.
The former vice president said the RNC made “a very clear statement after the fact that said we were talking about what’s happening in Washington today with the Jan. 6 committee.”
“They maintained, and I believe them, they were not talking about people that engaged in violence against persons or property that day, that they were speaking about a whole range of people that have been set upon by this committee,” Pence added. “And I believe them, they’re good people. And I believe that’s what they meant.”
Pence has previously described Jan. 6 as “a dark day” while trying to downplay the events at the same time. The pro-Trump mob called for Pence to be hanged for refusing to overturn the 2020 election results. Even Pence’s own top aide, Marc Short, said that there was no legitimate political discourse when the insurrection took place.
Prior to his Stanford speech, Pence made a very public rebuke of his former boss in saying that he had no authority to overturn an election.
A report by CNN, however, revealed that Pence did not initially plan on publicly condemning his former boss at the Federalist Society event. Pence felt compelled to speak following Donald Trump’s statements on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, doubling down on his claim that Pence had the authority to reject the electoral votes and send the results back to the states.
Someone close to the vice president said that while Pence was not looking for his rebuke to be the main story, he will immediately clarify what is said about him if it is false.
