When it comes to the events surrounding the Jan. 6 attack, former Vice President Mike Pence has a unique perspective. After all, the Indiana Republican was one of the key targets being hunted by rioters who intended to do him harm, and as Pence himself has explained, Donald Trump’s lies put his own family in danger.
But as the former president faces the prospect of another criminal indictment, his former right-hand man still isn’t on board with the idea of legal accountability. NBC News reported:
Former Vice President Mike Pence, a Republican presidential contender, said Sunday that Donald Trump’s actions leading up to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, were “reckless” but that he’s “not yet convinced” they were crimes. “While his words were reckless, based on what I know, I am not yet convinced that they were criminal,” Pence said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The Hoosier added that he believes “history” will hold Trump accountable.
It’s a line that would likely be popular with a great many criminal defense attorneys. I can imagine all kinds of lawyers saying during arraignments, “Your honor, our system of justice might call for a jury trial, but defense counsel prefers to let history render its own verdict instead.”
But as is always the case, the context matters. CNN’s Dana Bash began her interview with Pence by asking a straightforward question: “If the Justice Department has evidence that [Trump] committed a crime related to January 6, you do not th
