Pence Says Trump Endangered Him & His Family On Jan. 6

Former Vice President Mike Pence said then-President Donald Trump‘s words and actions endangered him and his family on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“The president’s words were reckless,” Pence said in an interview aired on ABC this weekend. “His actions were reckless. President’s words that day at the rally endangered me and my family and everyone at the Capitol building.”

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Speaking in an interview for the first time about the Capitol riot, Pence also described being “angered” by a tweet in which Trump accused him of not having “the courage to do what should have been done,” as he pushed for Pence to block the certification process that ultimately confirmed Joe Biden as the elected president that day.

Pence, then president of the Senate, was responsible to conduct the session to certify the results of the presidential election. Because of his ceremonial role, he became a specific target of the mob who invaded the Capitol. Footage from the day of the attack show a group of rioters calling “hang Mike Pence!”

Reminded of the tweet, Pence remained in silence for several seconds before describing his reaction.

“It angered me,” he said. “But I turned to my daughter, who was standing nearby, and I said, ‘It doesn’t take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law'”