In a historic decision, the Congressional January 6th Commission voted to recommend criminal charges be filed against former President Donald Trump based on their investigation into how he might have aided and abetted the riots at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
But now, the man who served as Trump’s Vice President for four years is urging the Justice Department to refrain from acting on that referral.
Pence alleged that the House committee had a “partisan taint” in an interview on Monday.
“Congress has no formal role in Justice Department decisions so they can make recommendations today,” Pence said. “But when it comes to the Justice Department’s decision about bringing charges in the future, I would hope that they would not bring charges against the former President.”
Pence added that he didn’t think the holiday season was the ideal time for setting such a precedent.
“I hope the Justice Department understands the magnitude of the very idea of indicting a former president of the United States,” Pence said. “I think that would be terribly divisive in the country at a time when the American people want to see us heal. At this time of year, we're all thinking about the most important things in our lives: our faith, our family. And my hope is, the Justice Department think very carefully before proceeding.”
So far, the DOJ has issued no statement one way or the other on whether they would follow the committee’s recommendations and indict Trump.
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