Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday that President Biden called the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2024 to distract Americans from the administration's poor track record, which “weakened America at home and abroad.” He insisted that he would make it a focus of his 2019 presidential campaign.
Pence appeared on CNN's “State of the Union” from Israel, where he was visiting the families of those taken hostage by Hamas terrorists in the Oct. 7 attack, and said Jan. 6 will decide the next general election. He expressed his opinion that this was not the case.
“The truth is, I don't think the election was decided on that tragic day three years ago,” Pence said. “I think it will be determined by the Biden administration's failed policies that have emboldened enemies of freedom around the world, caused the worst inflation, and created the worst border crisis in U.S. history.”
“I understand why President Biden wants to focus his campaign on three years ago. This administration's record has weakened America at home and abroad,” the former vice president said.
Biden will mark his third anniversary in January. 6 Deeply criticizes President Trump for “trying to steal history”
Pence said he doesn't believe Jan. 6 will influence the decisions voters make in the 2024 presidential election. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The Biden campaign has doubled down on January 6-related attacks on former President Trump, following the poor performance of the White House's “Bidenomics” message. On Friday, Mr. Biden attacked his predecessor during his speech in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, saying Mr. Trump was “trying to steal history in the same way that he tried to steal the election.”
President Biden on Friday criticized President Trump in a speech that focused on the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Pence also criticized attempts to remove Trump from presidential votes, as happened in Colorado and Maine, arguing that doing so would be “against” democracy.
“I think these efforts to take decisions away from the American people are antithetical to the very democracy that President Biden and many Democrats say they want to protect,” he said.
President Trump hits back at January 6 criticism, calling Biden a 'real threat to democracy'
Pence also mentioned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization, which had been kept secret for nearly a week.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized Monday for elective surgery. The media was not briefed on the matter until the following Friday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“It's outrageous to think that when we have allies at war in Eastern Europe and here in Israel, American military leaders at the Pentagon were off duty for several days and the president didn't know about it.” It's dereliction of duty. ”
Austin was in intensive care for several days after elective surgery, but is now recovering and returned to normal work Friday night, according to reports. It is still unclear why Austin was admitted to the hospital in the first place, what the elective procedure was, and when it was performed.
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“This response by the Secretary of Defense is completely unacceptable,” Pence said. “I believe the American people have a right to know what his condition is and why, and they have a right to know who was informed of his incompetence.”
