World News | Pence says Trump ‘jeopardized my family’ on Jan. 6

WASHINGTON, March 12 (AP) – Former Vice President Mike Pence sharply criticized former President Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot Saturday, widening a rift between the two as they prepare to fight the Next year’s election for the Republican nominating year.

“President Trump is wrong,” Pence said, speaking at an annual white-collar grill dinner attended by politicians and journalists.

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“I have no right to overturn an election. His reckless remarks endangered my family and everyone in the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

Pence’s remarks were the harshest rebuke yet from the once-loyal lieutenant, who has often sidestepped confrontations with his former boss. Trump has announced his candidacy. Pence has not, but he has been preparing to run.

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In the days leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, Trump pressured Pence to overturn President Joe Biden’s electoral victory as he presided over the ceremonial certification of the results.

Pence refused, and some chanted that they wanted to “hang Mike Pence” as the mob stormed the Capitol.

The House committee investigating the attack said in its final report that “the president of the United States has provoked a mob that hunted down his own vice president.”

Pence’s remarks cemented his place in a broader debate within the Republican Party about how to view the attack. For example, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently provided Tucker Carlson with archives of surveillance footage from Jan. 6 that the Fox News anchor used to downplay the day’s events and promote conspiracy theory.

“There is no doubt that what happened that day is a disgrace,” Pence said at his Gridiron dinner.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to spread lies about his electoral defeat. He’s even spoken in support of the rioters and said he would consider pardoning them if he was reelected.

Speeches at Gridiron dinners are usually humorous affairs, with politicians poking fun at each other, and Pence does a lot of it.

He joked that Trump’s ego is so fragile that he wants his vice president to sing “Wind Beneath My Wings” — one of which is “Did you know you’re my hero?” — at their weekly lunchtime .

He took another shot at Trump over classified documents.

“I read that some of the classified documents they found at Mar-a-Lago were actually tucked into the president’s Bible,” Pence said, “which proves he had absolutely no idea they were there.”

Even before the dinner was over, Pence faced criticism for joking about Buttigieg, the first openly gay cabinet member in U.S. history.

Pence mentioned that despite travel issues plaguing Americans, Buttigieg was on “maternity leave” after he and her husband adopted newborn twins.

“Pete is the only person in human history who has had a child, and everyone else suffers from postpartum depression,” Pence said. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)