Pence says Trump needs to answer for why he wasn’t making phone calls on January 6

Mike Pence said only Donald Trump could answer why the then president didn’t make calls to security officials during the Jan. 6 Uprising in the Capitol.

The former vice president told ABC’s David Muir that he was in the Capitol at the time, so he couldn’t say what Trump, who was in the White House, was doing.

“I was in the Capitol. I wasn’t at the White House,” Pence said in the interview with ABC News. “I can’t explain what the president did that day. I was at a loading dock in the Capitol where a riot was going on.’

Pence, 63, was on Capitol Hill in his ceremonial role to oversee the electoral college count to certify the 2020 presidential election on January 6, 2021. When rioters entered the Capitol, Secret Service agents removed Pence from the Senate floor. He was eventually taken to a loading dock in one of the garages.

Muir noted that Pence called the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, the chief of Capitol Police and several other officials that day as Trump’s MAGA supporters stormed the building.

“But why didn’t he make these calls?” Muir asked about Trump.

“That would be a good question for him,” Pence replied.

Pence is on a media tour ahead of the release of his forthcoming autobiography “So Help Me God.” It comes out on Tuesday.

In his conversation with ABC News, recorded at his home in Indiana, Pence spoke about his relationship with Trump.

He admitted he was angry when the then-president accused him of cowardice and the crowd turned on him on Jan. 6, describing Trump’s actions as “reckless.”

Pence, who was a loyal ally of Trump during their four years in office, said the then president “decided to be part of the problem.”

The Jan. 6 commission investigating the uprising heard testimony that Pence’s life was in very real danger.

Pence, who refused Trump’s demands to nullify the 2020 election, was in the Capitol when it was violated. The mob set up a gallows with a noose outside the building, and Pence was only 40 feet away from the intruders at one point.

He was asked how he felt when Trump tweeted this message during the riots: “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our Constitution, giving states a chance to pass a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate they were previously required to certify. The US demands the truth!’

Speaking at his home in Indiana, the former vice president paused for a long time.

He replied, “It made me angry.”

“But I turned to my daughter, who was standing nearby, and I said, ‘It doesn’t take courage to break the law. It takes courage to enforce the law.’

“I mean, the president’s words were reckless. It was clear he decided to be part of the problem.”

Pence has so far avoided criticizing his former boss — he walked a thin line while Trump retained control of the party.

He has been hesitant about his own plans for 2024 amid speculation he will make an offer for the White House. But he would likely face strong opposition from Trump himself, who was set to announce his own bid this week.

In his memoir, excerpts of which were published last week, the day after the midterms, by The Wall Street JournalPence tells how he was taken from the Senate Chamber by his security guard.

He said the Secret Service urged him to leave the building, but he refused – because he didn’t want to be seen in his motorcade and would give the rioters any sense of victory.

“We walked slowly down the hall. All around us was a haze of movement and chaos: security guards and police officers escorting people to safety, staffers yelling and running for shelter. I heard footsteps and angry singing,” Pence wrote.

“It took us a few extra minutes to get to the Capitol basement because I insisted we should walk, not run.

“The Secret Service team reluctantly took me in.”

He described how his aide showed him Trump’s tweet, accusing Pence of cowardice by failing to destroy the election.

Rioters looted the Capitol. Some of them, I was later told, chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!” I ignored the tweet and went back to work,” Pence said.

“My chief of staff arranged a conference call with congressional leadership. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell made the point that it was imperative that Congress reconvene as soon as possible to complete the vote counting. Everyone agreed.’

He said he had a meeting with Trump on January 11.

“He looked tired and his voice sounded weaker than usual. ‘How are you?’ he started. “How are Karen and Charlotte?”

“I replied curtly that we were all right and told him they’d been to the Capitol on January 6.

‘He replied with a hint of regret, ‘I just learned that.’ Then he asked, “Were you scared?”

‘No’, I replied, ‘I was angry. You and I had our disagreements that day, Mr. President, and I was furious when I saw those people tearing up the Capitol.”

“He started talking about the election and said people were angry, but his voice died.

‘I told him to put that aside, and he calmly replied, ‘Yes.’

Pence then described speaking to Trump on January 14, following his second impeachment.

“He seemed discouraged, so I reminded him I was praying for him.

“Don’t bother,” he said.