Former Vice President Mike Pence rebuffed allegations spewed by former President Donald Trump and others that the FBI instigated the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Pence – who had been trapped inside the Capitol when rioters ransacked the complex while some even chanted about hanging him – indicated there isn’t evidence the bureau was involved.
“I’ve seen the director of the FBI repeatedly assure the American people that the FBI were not the instigators of the riot that occurred on January 6,” Pence noted on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
“Frankly, I’m very grateful for the efforts of the FBI to bring nearly a thousand people to justice who ransacked our Capitol and did violence against police officers to that day,” he added, calling for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
During a recent rally in Sioux Center, Iowa, Trump said, “There was Antifa and there was FBI — there were a lot of other people there too leading the charge.”
At another rally in the Hawkeye State, Trump described those prosecuted over the riot as “hostages.”
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy described the three-year anniversary of the riot as “Entrapment Day.” He then blasted out what he called a series of truths about Jan. 6, 2021.
Top law enforcement officials, including FBI Director Christopher Wray have strenuously denied accusations that the FBI orchestrated the riot.
While condemning the violence of Jan. 6, 2021, Pence simultaneously warned President Biden that he thinks harping too much on the riot will be futile in the 2024 election.
“I understand why President Biden wants to focus his campaign on three years ago. The record for this administration has weakened America at home,” Pence said.
“I don’t think the election is going to be decided on a tragic day three years ago. I think it’s going to be decided on the failed policies of the Biden administration that have emboldened the enemies of freedom around the world, launched the worst inflation, [and] that created the worst crisis on our border in American history.”
Biden marked the three-year anniversary of the Capitol riot with an impassioned speech near Valley Forge, a Revolutionary War site, in which he ominously warned about ongoing threats to democracy.
Pence further conveyed optimism that the GOP primary process will give his “party a fresh start and give us new leadership of the election and beyond.”
He declined to issue an endorsement — for now.
“I think very highly of Nikki Haley, of Ron DeSantis, and frankly Chris Christie has been a friend for many years. And I don’t put a lot of stock in endorsements,” Pence said, while leaving the door open to endorsing someone in the future.
The former VP didn’t mention Trump or Ramaswamy, whom Pence chaffed with during multiple GOP debates.
The former vice president’s rapport with Trump deteriorated after his refusal to heed to pressure from the 45th president and his allies to decertify the 2020 election.
Trump, who is favored to win the GOP nomination this year, appears to be intent on selecting someone other than Pence to be his veep should he lock down the party nod.
Pence recently embarked on a trip to Sderot, Israel, where he toured the carnage Hamas inflicted on the Jewish state.
“It was remarkable to see the resilience of the people and the families that have lost loved ones as hostages. But one understands their impatience,” Pence reflected on the trip.
The former vice president vied for the GOP nod in the 2024 cycle, before dropping out last October.
Iowa is set to hold the first contest of the cycle with its caucuses on Jan. 15.
