‘History will hold Trump responsible’ for Capitol assault

Former US Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday that history will hold former US President Donald Trump ‘accountable’ for his role in the assault on the Capitol in 2021, reported US media. “President Trump was wrong,” Mr. Pence, his former running mate, said in a speech at the Gridiron Dinner, a gala hosted by journalists attended by high-profile political figures. “I had no right to annul (the result of) the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone in the Capitol that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable,” said Pence, quoted by several media.

Among the thousands of protesters who took over the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021, some had called for Mr. Pence to be hanged, forcing Mr. Trump’s vice president to rush to a place of safety. The remarks are sure to deepen the rift between the two politicians, who have been at loggerheads since Mike Pence refused to back Donald Trump in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election result and stay in power. Donald Trump has already made public his intention to run for another term in the 2024 presidential electionand Mike Pence has indicated he may challenge him for the Republican Party nomination.

Gala usually light

Usually, the Gridiron Dinner is a light event punctuated by sketches and music, and from this point of view the former vice-president first sought to make the audience laugh. “I will wholeheartedly and wholeheartedly support the Republican candidate for president in 2024 – if that’s me.” Mike Pence’s scathing remarks about Donald Trump at the gala were unexpected.

“I was at dinner and can confirm that @Mike_Pence really took the room by surprise – lots of jaws dropped,” tweeted Maryam Mujica, a former official with the State Department.

(AFP)Show comments