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‘Our country is more important than one man,’ Mike Pence condemns Trump’s attempt to overturn the election
Pence rebukes Trump after the indictment, "Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President."
Former Vice President Mike Pence issued a strong rebuke of former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, after his former boss was charged with four criminal counts related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and retain power.
“Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” Pence said in a statement.
“Our country is more important than one man. Our constitution is more important than any one man’s career. On January 6th, Former President Trump demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution. I chose the Constitution and I always will,” he continued.
The former Vice President said he would comment further on the indictment after he reviews it, but he also expressed a common sentiment, noting that this latest indictment “means more talk about January 6th and more distractions.”
“As Americans, his candidacy means less attention paid to Joe Biden’s disastrous economic policies afflicting millions across the United States and to the pattern of corruption with Hunter,” Pence said, referring to Trump.
Both Pence and Trump are running for president in 2024.
The indictment reveals how Pence was involved in Trump’s alleged scheme to stay in office, which resulted in the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. In the weeks before Jan. 6, Trump “directly pressured the Vice President to use his ceremonial role at the certification proceeding on January 6 to fraudulently overturn the results of the election, and the Vice President resisted,” the indictment states, and provides several examples.
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In one example, the indictment says Pence called Trump to wish him a Merry Christmas on Dec. 25 and Trump turned the conversation to the Jan. 6 proceedings, prompting Pence to say, “You know I don’t think I have the authority to change the outcome.”
On Jan. 1, the indictment alleges, Trump called Pence and “berated him” after learning Pence opposed a lawsuit seeking to enhance the Vice President’s ceremonial role in the certification process. Trump allegedly told Pence, “You’re too honest.”
Pence, in his statement Tuesday, vowed to restore integrity to the office.
“As your president, I will not yield an inch in defending America, our people, or our values, and I promise you: I will do so in a way consistent with my oath to the Constitution and the character and decency of the American people,” Pence wrote. “We will restore a threshold of integrity and civility in public life so we can bring real solutions to the challenges plaguing our nation.”
