Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence said it should be up to voters to decide former President Donald Trump's fate regarding his alleged involvement in trying to subvert the 2020 election results and not government prosecutors.
During a Newsmax town hall in Iowa on Tuesday night, Pence, who was vice president under Trump, told co-host Rob Schmitt that Jan. 6, 2021, when he presided over Congress' certification of the Electoral College as the U.S. Capitol was breached by protesters, was a "tragic day."
"I know that by God's grace, I did my duty that day under the Constitution of the United States," said Pence, who trails Trump by a gaping margin in the polls for the 2024 GOP nod. "But I had hoped that issues around the president's conduct and actions on that day, and leading up to that day, would be left to the judgment of the American people and not be brought into the courts of this country.
"I trust the people of Iowa, the people of New Hampshire, the people of this country to sort out the qualifications and the merits of all of us as candidates."
Trump is facing a four-count indictment in Washington, D.C., regarding his alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election and a 13-count indictment in Georgia regarding his alleged efforts to subvert the state's 2020 election results.
Pence said he has not talked to Trump in a while — the two have been at odds over Pence's role on Jan. 6, with Pence claiming Trump asked him to overturn the will of the voters. Trump maintains he only wanted Pence to delay the certification so states could investigate his claims of voter fraud.
"I know the former president very well," Pence said. "We haven't talked in a while, but we used to talk and work together every day for the better part of five years in a campaign and in our administration.
"I know that he can defend himself in court, and I'm sure he'll continue to. But look, ultimately, I'd like to see these issues resolved by voters, by the American people."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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