Three years after rioters shouted “hang Mike Pence” during the attack on the US Capitol, the former vice president has said he did the right thing that day.
Mr Pence told Sky News that since the riots on January 6 2021, he has “lost count of the number of people who took a moment to thank me – from literally every walk of life, from every political background – for the stand that we took”.
He said Americans “cherish our constitution, and they cherish the liberties enshrined there”.
He added: “I’m confident that the American people will rally around their constitution once again. I look forward to playing some part in that decision in the days ahead.”
Mike Pence says he did the right thing on 6 January 2021
After he lost the 2020 election, Donald Trump became convinced Mr Pence somehow had the power to overturn the results, which is not something a vice president could do.
When he refused to act on the idea, Mr Pence became a traitor in the eyes of the then president and his supporters.
At one point in the Capitol riots, crowds were reported to be chanting “hang Mike Pence”, after Mr Trump publicly called on him to refuse to certify the election.
Watch Wilfred Frost’s interview with Mike Pence on the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips show on Sky News tomorrow at 8.30am, which will also feature a live interview of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Saturday is the last anniversary of the attacks before the next presidential election.
Five people died during the riot and the immediate aftermath, including Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by police.
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All told, 140 police officers were injured in the attack, including US Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, who died later.
Several others took their own lives.
One officer, Harry Dunn, has announced he is running for Congress to “ensure it never happens again”.
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Officer crushed in door as mob storm Capitol
Mr Pence, who was once considered one of the favourites to become the Republican nominee for 2024, suspended his campaign in October after struggling to raise money and support.
Mr Trump, the overwhelming frontrunner to win the nomination, enjoys one of the biggest primary opinion poll leads in US electoral history, despite a series of legal and political setbacks since leaving office.
He currently faces more than 90 criminal charges in federal and state courts.
The former president was barred from running in the primaries in Maine and Colorado over his role in encouraging the riots.
On Friday, in a speech in Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden accused Mr Trump of being “willing to sacrifice democracy” in order to win this year’s vote.
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Capitol security officer flees angry mob
More than 1,200 defendants have been charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol and hundreds more have been identified but not yet arrested, prosecutors said this week.
Three people accused of participating in the riot were arrested on Saturday in Florida, the FBI said.
On Thursday, Christopher Worrell, one of the Proud Boys from Florida, was jailed for 10 years for using pepper spray on police officers during the attack.
The Proud Boys, who have long been some of former President Trump’s most vocal and violent supporters, were at the forefront of the violence on January 6 2021.