Former Vice-President Mike Pence said Donald Trump’s indictment on Tuesday should serve as a reminder to voters that anyone who “puts himself above the Constitution” should never be Presidency of the United States.
“Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” Pence, Trump’s rival in the 2024 GOP primary, said in a statement. “On January 6th, Former President Trump demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution. I chose the Constitution and I always will.”
“The former president is entitled to the presumption of innocence but with this indictment, his candidacy means more talk about January 6th and more distractions,” Pence added.
Prosecutors alleged in the indictment that Trump and his co-conspirators pressured Pence, Trump’s VP, to use his ceremonial role in affirming the electoral vote count on Jan. 6 to “fraudulently alter the election results.”
In a phone call on Jan. 1, 2021, Trump told Pence he was being “too honest” for refusing to back their efforts to overturn the results of the election, according to the indictment.
The indictment also makes it clear that Pence is a key witness in the case, and prosecutors say Pence took extensive, contemporaneous notes.
