Chants and threats to “hang Mike Pence” by insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were no big deal, according to failed former President Donald Trump because “people were very angry.”
In an interview with Jonathan Karl of ABC News, the one-term, twice-impeached Trump said he was certain Pence was safe as thousands of pro-Trump supporters rioted and forced their way into Congress on the day that the 2020 presidential election was being certified.
Karl asked Trump:
“Were you worried about (Pence) during that siege? Were you worried about his safety?”
Trump responded:
“No, I thought he was well-protected, and I had heard that he was in good shape. No. Because I had heard he was in very good shape. But, but, no, I think —”
That led Karl to interject:
“Because you heard those chants — that was terrible. I mean — “
Trump:
“He could have — well, the people were very angry.”
And then Trump began to further rationalize how close Pence came to being killed:
“Because it’s common sense, Jon. It’s common sense that you’re supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent, right? — how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress? How can you do that? And I’m telling you: 50/50, it’s right down the middle for the top constitutional scholars when I speak to them. Anybody I spoke to — almost all of them at least pretty much agree, and some very much agree with me — because he’s passing on a vote that he knows is fraudulent. How can you pass a vote that you know is fraudulent? Now, when I spoke to him, I really talked about all of the fraudulent things that happened during the election. I didn’t talk about the main point, which is the legislatures did not approve — five states. The legislatures did not approve all of those changes that made the difference between a very easy win for me in the states, or a loss that was very close, because the losses were all very close.”
In other words, because Trump lost to President Joe Biden, Pence was expendable, little more than a pawn in the larger plan for a coup that the ex-president and his allies put in place shortly after it became clear that Biden had won by a landslide.
If the House Select Committee was looking for a smoking gun which proves Donald Trump’s culpability for what took place on Jan. 6, they don’t have to look any further than his remarks to Jon Karl.
