(Washington) Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday called on Republicans to stop attacking the nation’s top law enforcement agencies following the FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago, the residence of former President Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
Republicans in Congress, including members of the party leadership, reacted furiously to the Aug. 8 search, which is part of an investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of confidential documents. Some lawmakers have called for “degrading” or “destroying” the FBI, though more moderate voices have criticized their colleagues for their rhetoric.
Speaking at a political event in New Hampshire, Mr Pence said Republicans could hold the Justice Department and FBI accountable for their decisions ‘without attacking senior law enforcement personnel’ .
“Our party stands with the men and women who stand on the thin blue line [thin blue line] at the federal, state and local level, and these attacks on the FBI must stop, pleaded Mike Pence. Calls to defund the FBI are just as misguided as calls to defund the police. »
The remarks by Pence, who appears to be positioning himself to run for president, underscore his desire to split from the wing of the Republican Party most loyal to Trump.
They also illustrate the political dangers of criticizing a law enforcement agency, especially for a party that presents itself as the defender of law and order.
Calls for a more cautious tone have been made as threats have mounted against law enforcement. A gunman notably attacked an FBI office in Cincinnati last week. For its part, the Department of Homeland Security distributed an intelligence bulletin to the country’s law enforcement agencies, warning them of an “increase in threats and acts of violence” after the search of Mar-a-Lago.
January 6 Commission of Inquiry
Pence also said Wednesday that he would consider speaking with the House of Representatives Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. This is the clearest indication yet of his willingness to participate in the work of the commission, which is due to resume public hearings on its findings next month.
The former vice president has rarely spoken publicly about how he would respond to an interview request from the commission, but his attorneys began talking to the commission as early as last summer, saying they don’t. weren’t sure what Mike Pence could do.
If there was an invitation to participate, I would consider it.
Mike Pence, former Vice President
But adding a note of caution, Mr. Pence went on to say that it would be “unprecedented in history” for a vice president “to be called in to testify on Capitol Hill.”
In recent weeks, the panel has discussed what to do with some of the most high-profile potential witnesses, like Pence or Trump himself, and lawmakers have failed to come to a conclusion on how to proceed with it. one or the other man.
The commission initially thought the two men would oppose attempts to get them to testify, and some lawmakers feared that a public battle to get them to testify under oath could distract from the work of gathering facts about the attack on the 6-January and the events that preceded it.
PHOTO J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the January 6 Inquiry
The commission’s chairman, Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, has previously said the commission ruled out subpoenaing Pence, citing “important information” it received from two of his aides, Marc Short and Greg Jacob, who both testified.
A spokesperson for the commission declined to comment on Mr. Pence’s latest statements on Wednesday.
Another potentially high-profile witness, Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a supporter of Trump’s efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election, is still on the commission’s list of witnesses to be called, even though she refuted the interview attempts.