Former Vice President Mike Pence called his former boss Trump’s conviction in a New York hush-money case an “outrage” that “deepens our division,” and defended the president after he declined to endorse him in this year’s presidential election.
“The conviction of former President Trump on a politically motivated crime is an outrage and a disservice to our nation,” Pence said. He told Fox News Digital“While no one is above the law, our courts must not be used as tools against political opponents.”
Pence echoed President Trump’s criticism of the case, calling it a “political prosecution” and saying he believed the conviction would be overturned on appeal.
“This guilty verdict sends a chilling message to the world about our American justice system and will only further divide us at a time when the American people are suffering from the Biden Administration’s failed policies at home and abroad,” Pence said.
Trump became the first former president to be convicted of a felony on Thursday after a Manhattan jury found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in a case related to hush money paid in 2016.
The former president slammed the “rigged” trial, slammed the verdict and insisted he was “a totally innocent man.” Many Republicans rushed to his defense, including potential vice presidential candidates.
Pence ran with Trump in the 2016 presidential election, won the White House and served as a loyal vice president during his administration.
But the two fell out after the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Pence also unsuccessfully tried to challenge Trump for the presidential nomination this year and has emerged as an outspoken critic.
“It should come as no surprise to you that I will not be supporting Donald Trump this year,” Trump said in March, months after dropping out of the Republican primary.
—Updated 1:36 p.m.
