Ex-Vice President Mike Pence is diving head first into his campaign to defeat his former boss Donald Trump in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination. Hours after delivering a speech in Iowa announcing the launch of his campaign, Pence appeared on CNN for a televised town hall event.
Trump, who participated in his own — much more chaotic — CNN town hall in April, loomed large over Pence’s discussion with host Dana Bash.
During the town hall, Pence criticized the Department of Justice, which has indicated it is preparing to bring an indictment against Trump stemming from their investigation into his unauthorized retention of classified documents.
I don’t “know the facts” of Trump’s case, Pence told Bash, later adding that he felt “this kind of action by the Department of Justice, I think, would only fuel further division in the country, and let me also say, I think it would also send a terrible message to the wider world,” Pence said, “I hope the DOJ thinks better of it and resolves these issues without an indictment.”
“Sir, I just want to clarify what you’re saying is if they believe he committed a crime, they should not go forward with an indictment? You just talked before about committing to the rule of law,” Bash asked.
Pence replied that he “would just hope that there would be a way for them to move forward without the dramatic and drastic and divisive step of indicting a former President of the United States. We’ve got to find a way to move our country forward and restore confidence in equal treatment under the law in this country. We really do.”
Despite declaring that he had “no interest” in pardoning rioters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, Pence deflected when asked if he would pardon Trump, who is currently facing a criminal case and a slew of potential indictments, should he assume the presidency.
“I don’t want to speak about hypotheticals,” Pence told the host. “I’m not sure I’m going to be elected President of the United States. But I believe we have a fighting chance. I really believe we do.”
When Bash pressured Pence for an answer, he responded that he’d rather “look to the real issues American people are facing. Rather than talking about that, I want to talk about what the people in Iowa are talking about, which is the failed policies of the Biden administration.”
Pence’s hesitance to condemn the actions of the former president — and unequivocally state that the man who sicced a murderous mob on him — should not be allowed to reassume office has already become a sticking point in his candidacy. Despite declaring in his campaign announcement that “anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” Pence said in an interview with Fox News later that afternoon that regardless of the outcome of the primaries, he would support the Republican nominee in the general election.
Pence repeatedly reiterated to Bash that he felt it was time to get tough on crime and get “a lot more serious about serious offenders.” But with every statement Pence makes about the former president, it becomes clear that the former VP still sees Trump as the exception to his rules.
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