CNN host in shock as Pence supports Jan 6 Maga movement: ‘They wanted to hang you’
Dana Bash calls former VP’s words ‘pretty remarkable’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A CNN host was seemingly shocked when Mike Pence took a surprising stance by defending Donald Trump’s supporters during an interview on Sunday.
Dana Bash was caught off guard when Mr Pence defended Mr Trump’s supporters, despite the violent storming of the Capitol during the 6 January insurrection in 2021 and calls for his hanging.
During CNN’s State of the Union interview, Mr Pence brought up the issue when Bash questioned him about potential concerns regarding future violence due to ongoing provocative remarks made by his former boss.
Mr Pence said he was “infuriated” on 6 January 2021, with “people ransacking the Capitol and engaging in violence against law enforcement officers”.
“I would say not just the majority, but virtually everyone in our movement, are the kinds of Americans who love this country, who are patriotic and law-and-order people who would never have done anything like that there or anywhere else,” he said.
While Mr Trump’s “words were reckless, based on what I know, I am not yet convinced that they were criminal”, he said, much to Bash’s surprise.
“That’s pretty remarkable that you’re not concerned about it, given the fact that they wanted to hang you on 6 January,” she said.
“There has been an effort to take those that perpetrated violence on January 6 and use a broad brush to describe everyone in our movement,” Mr Pence replied.
Bash said she was speaking about the repeated “potential to incite those who were incited on January 6”.
Earlier this year, Mr Pence said the former president’s “reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day”.
Yet, during the interview with Bash, he said while he believed Mr Trump’s actions attempting to overturn the election were “wrong”, he said he was “not yet convinced they were criminal”.
Mr Trump, who is currently the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, remains under the scrutiny of prosecutors across the country over a wide range of issues.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments