“I think the Justice Department should take immediate action to unlock the indictment,” Pence said. “I think the sooner we get the facts out to the American people, the better.”
The relationship between Pence and Trump has been complicated since the former president’s departure. Pence was largely loyal to Trump until the January 6 riot, when Pence endorsed President Joe Biden’s victory despite Trump’s pressure on him to declare the election results.
Pence was originally scheduled to appear on Fox News Thursday night with Sean Hannity, but they “mutually” decided to reschedule after news of the charges broke.
“We were scheduled to go to discuss [presidential campaign] announcement and the show was ultimately devoted solely to the charge, so we mutually decided to find another time to get the two together,” a Pence spokesperson told POLITICO.
Pence, a GOP presidential candidate, also had classified documents in his Indiana home but turned them over to federal authorities. The DOJ has ended their investigation into Pence’s handling of those documents, POLITICO reported last week.
Other 2024 GOP opponents largely defended Trump after news of the second indictment broke, echoing the idea that Trump is being victimized. Vivek Ramaswamy pledged to pardon Trump if elected, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vowed to go after the DOJ. Nikki Haley said, “This is not how justice should be pursued in our country.” on Twitter Friday.
Pence also promised in the interview to “clean up at the highest levels of the Justice Department.”
“I just think we need a whole new team,” Pence said. “I think confidence has literally collapsed. As if we should have faith in our institutions in this country. We must have faith in the rule of law.”
“Look, this is a sad day for America to see a former president of the United States indicted under federal law,” he added. “And again, I think it sends a divisive message across the country, and a terrible message to the rest of the world.”
Adam Wren contributed to this report.
