PITIFUL PENCE: Trump veep thinks you should forgive his former boss

MOTHER'S LOAD: Judge rules Pence must testify about pre-Jan 6th convos with Trump

Mike Pence, who the mob sought on January 6th with a stated intent to hang him for “treason,” believes the country should forgive and forget Donald Trump’s role in that attack and the connected web of election interference schemes.

In advance of the January 6th Committee’s Monday afternoon meeting, Pence gave his views on the criminal referrals that could come from the day’s vote.

Information released ahead of the meeting had already suggested that Trump would likely be referred to the Justice Department for criminal charges that might include obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to defraud the United States; and incitement of an insurrection.

Pence, however, didn’t seem to be happy about that possibility, saying that he hopes the DOJ will not bring charges, and even downplayed Trump’s involvement, suggesting the former president was guilty of nothing worse than “tak[ing] bad advice.”

The January 6th Committee’s process was tailored to provide the public, and the DOJ, with evidence that Trump both actively participated in the plotting, and knew he was acting illegally when he did it.

They’ve brought forth witnesses, including the former White House attorney and his deputy, to discuss what Trump knew, how informed he was about the illegality of some of the plots, and what he did anyway.

Pence, however, says:

“When it comes to the Justice Department’s decision about bringing charges in the future, I would hope they would not bring charges against the former president. Look, as I wrote in my book, I think the president’s actions and words on January 6th were reckless, but I don’t know that it’s criminal to take bad advice from lawyers.”

Fortunately, Pence doesn’t have to know or be sure whether it’s criminal to act on advice that one has been warned would be in violation of law — the DOJ has legal experts who will make the initial decision on the matter, and if they do press charges, the judicial system will have the final call.

While it may seem a bit strange to have such a defense coming from a man who was directly targeted by a Trump-adoring mob, if Pence has any future political aspirations, he’ll find himself reliant on the support and goodwill of the MAGA crowd.

Watch below:

Stephanie Bazzle

Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: