On 6 January, hundreds of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters besieged the Capitol in a bid to prevent Congress from certifying the 3 November 2020 election results, riots that claimed the lives of at least five people.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has described the 6 January riots as a “dark” and “tragic” day in US history, calling the nation to move on from those events.
Pence made the remarks on Thursday as he headlined the Hillsborough County Republican Committee’s annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the vice presidential debate Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, at Kingsbury Hall on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City
During the Manchester speech, Pence praised the “swift action” by the Capitol Police and federal law enforcement who helped quell the violence and secure the Capitol building.
Pence pledged that he would not “allow Democrats or their allies in the media to use one tragic day to discredit the aspirations of millions of Americans” and distract Republicans’ attention “from a new administration intent on dividing our country to advance their radical agenda”.
Biden Doesn’t Plan to Form Presidential Commission on 6 January Riots, Psaki says
He spoke as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that POTUS Joe Biden has no plans to form a presidential commission to investigate the 6 January Capitol riots after Senate Republicans blocked a bill that called for creating an independent commission to deal with the matter.
Democrats blamed then-President Donald Trump’s speech at a rally on 6 January for prompting the attack on Congress later that day, which left at least five people dead after scores of Trump supporters besieged the Capitol in a bid to prevent the US Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 3 November 2020 US presidential election.
FILE PHOTO: Pro-Trump protesters storm the U.S. Capitol to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., U.S. January 6, 2021. Picture taken January 6, 2021
Trump strongly denied the notion that he riled up the mob attacking the Capitol, later condemning the violence. He was subsequently impeached by the House for a second time on charges of inciting insurrection but managed to avoid conviction in the Senate because more than a simple majority of votes was needed.
As far as Pence is concerned, despite growing pressure from Trump, the then-vice president in January made it clear that he had no intention of intervening in the certification process, explaining that only lawmakers can decide to either accept or reject the Electoral College vote results.
With the pair at odds, reports subsequently revealed Trump had not reached out to Pence or the vice president’s family as they were placed inside a secure bunker at the Capitol during the attack. Additionally, it was reported that the two did not speak in the days immediately following the deadly riot.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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