By Andrea Shalal, Trevor Hunnicutt and Gram Slattery
WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) – Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence issued his strongest rebuke to his former boss Donald Trump on Saturday, saying history will hold him accountable for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. on January 6, 2021.
Pence was on Capitol Hill when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Since the vice president has the constitutional role of president of the Senate, Pence presided over what had always been the ceremonial task of passing Electoral College votes to choose the president and vice president.
Throughout the siege, Trump sent several tweets, one calling on Republicans to “fight back” and others making false claims of voter fraud. He also criticized Pence for certifying the results.
“President Trump got it wrong,” Pence told gathered reporters and their guests at the Gridiron dinner, an annual white-tie event in Washington, DC.
“He had no right to void the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and everyone on Capitol Hill that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”
Pence, who plans to run for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, was taken to safety by law enforcement during the attack.
He rarely referred to Jan. 6 in the months following the incident, but has since stepped up his criticism of the rioters and his former boss’ behavior that day.
He was highly critical of Trump’s conduct in recent media interviews and, in a memoir published in November, accused Trump of putting his family at risk.
However, Pence’s comments on Saturday were the most impactful yet.
“What happened that day was a disgrace,” he said. “And it mocks decency to portray it any other way. As long as I live, I will never, ever diminish the injuries sustained, the lives lost, or the heroism of law enforcement on this tragic day.”
A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to an after-hours request for comment.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing in Spanish by Juana Casas)