MANCHESTER — Former Vice President Mike Pence declared people “have a right to know” what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, and teased that he will be telling his story more frequently in the future.
Pence recalled how he was angered on the “tragic day” of the riot by the mob that stormed the Capitol but voiced his disappointment over how House Speaker Nancy Pelosi booted Republican picks from the Jan. 6 committee.
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“The American people have a right to know what happened that day. And in the months and years ahead, I’ll be telling my story even more frequently than I have,” Pence said, before explaining that he just finished writing a book that reflects on his time in the White House.
Saying the 9/11 Commission rose above politics, Pence blamed Democrats for the politicization of the Capitol riot while answering a question from an audience member at a forum in New Hampshire about the committee. Pence was asked whether he felt the committee provided the public with new information about the riot, a point of inquiry Pence didn’t answer directly.
“Whatever the intentions of the January 6 committee, I was disappointed. Speaker Pelosi broke tradition in the Congress where I served for 12 years and refused to seat Republican members that had been appointed by the minority,” he added. “I think it was a missed opportunity for the American people.”
During summer 2021, Pelosi rejected two of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s picks for the panel: Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Jim Jordan (R-OH). McCarthy then pulled all of his picks from consideration in response, prompting Pelosi to accept two Republicans on the panel: Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Liz Cheney (R-WY).
Pence faced the wrath of supporters of former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump and his supporters had demanded Pence decertify the 2020 election results, and upon Pence’s refusal, chants of “hang Mike Pence” were heard from some of the rioters. He was near the Capitol complex when the riot unfolded, refusing to leave as the halls of Congress were ransacked.
“January 6 was a tragic day in the history of our country, not just for those of us who lived through at the Capitol, but for every American,” Pence said. “What began as a tragedy, I believe, was ultimately a triumph of freedom because, on the very same day of the worst attack on our Capitol since 1812, the American people and the world witnessed the elected representatives of this country reconvene and see an orderly transition of power under the Constitution.”
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His remarks came during a speech at a “Politics & Eggs” event at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, the first in a series of stops in the Granite State on Wednesday. Pence was also noncommittal about appearing before the Jan. 6 committee if he was called upon for testimony.
“[In] the Constitution, we have three coequal branches. Any invitation to be directed to me — I would have to reflect on the unique role that I was serving as vice president,” Pence said. “I don’t want to prejudge. If [there was] ever any formal invitation rendered to us, we would give it due consideration.”
