"His irresponsible words put my family in danger": Pence's unprecedented criticism of Trump for the assault on the Capitol

By Zeke Miller and Chris Megerian -

Former Vice President Mike Pence launched strong criticism of former President Donald Trump on Saturday for his role in the assault on the Capitol, widening the distance between the two as they prepare to seek the Republican nomination with a view to the 2024 elections.

“President Trump was wrong,” Pence declared in his speech at the annual Clun Gridiron dinner attended by politicians and journalists.

“

.

And his irresponsible words put my family and everyone on Capitol Hill in danger that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

Pence's remarks mark the harshest condemnation to date from a once-loyal lieutenant who often shied away from confrontation with his former boss.

Trump has already announced that he will seek the nomination.

Pence hasn't, but he paves the way for that goal.

In the days leading up to the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol, Trump had urged Pence to annul President Joe Biden's election victory as he was leading the protocol certification of the results.

Pence refused, and when the mob invaded the Capitol some chanted: "Hang Mike Pence."

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The House Committee that investigated the assault said in its final report that "the President of the United States has angered a mob that went after the Vice President himself."

Due to his statements, Pence has cemented his place in the broad debate within the Republican Party as to how to view the storming of the Capitol.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, for example, recently provided Tucker Carlson with a file of security camera footage relating to January 6, which the Fox News host has not used in an effort to minimize the events of that day and promote conspiracy theories.

"Make no mistake,

," Pence said in his remarks at the Gridiron Dinner.

"And it's a mockery of decency to present it any other way."

Trump, for his part, has not stopped spreading lies about his defeat at the polls.

He has even spoken out for the rioters, saying he might consider pardoning them if he wins the election again.

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Speeches at the annual Gridiron Club dinner are often filled with humor, politicians playing pranks on each other, and Pence didn't miss the opportunity.

Pence joked that

the song

during their weekly luncheons , one of which reads "did you ever know you were my hero?"

Pence also censured Trump for the classified documents.

“I read that some of those secret-sealed documents that they found at Mar-a-Lago were actually in the President's Bible,” Pence said.

"Which shows that he had no idea they were there."

Even before the dinner concluded, Pence faced criticism for his jokes about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay cabinet member in US history.

Pence mentioned that despite the travel issues plaguing Americans, Buttigieg got "maternity leave" after he and her husband adopted newborn twins.

"Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else suffers from postpartum depression," Pence declared.