“I think the Department of Justice should act immediately to unseal the allegation,” Pence said. «I think the sooner we present the facts to the American people, the better.»
Pence and Trump’s relationship has been rocky since the former president left office. Pence was largely a Trump loyalist until the January 6 insurrection, when Pence certified President Joe Biden’s victory despite Trump’s pressure to throw out the election results.
Pence was originally scheduled to appear on Fox News with Sean Hannity on Thursday night, but they «mutually» decided to reschedule after news of the indictment broke.
“We were scheduled to continue discussing the [presidential campaign] announcement and the show ended up being dedicated exclusively to the prosecution, so we decided to find another time to bring the two together,” a Pence spokesperson told POLITICO.
Pence, a Republican presidential candidate, also had classified documents at his Indiana home but turned them over to federal authorities. The DOJ has finished its investigation into Pence’s handling of those documents, POLITICO reported last week.
Other 2024 Republican opponents came largely to Trump’s defense after news of the second indictment broke, echoing the idea that Trump is being victimized. Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed to pardon Trump if he is elected, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed to go after the Justice Department. Nikki Haley said: «This is not how justice should be sought in our country.» on Twitter on Friday.
Pence also promised in the interview to «clean house at the highest levels of the Department of Justice.»
“I just think we need a whole new team,” Pence said. “I think there has literally been a collapse of trust. Just like we have to have confidence in our institutions in this country. We have to have confidence in the rule of law.”
“Look, this is a sad day for the United States to see a former president of the United States facing impeachment under federal law,” he added. «And again, I think he sends a divisive message across the country and a terrible message across the world.»
Adam Wren contributed to this report.