Sen. Jim Inhofe said that he had “never seen Pence as angry” as the vice president was in the aftermath of pro-Trump demonstrators breaching the Capitol Hill complex, looting offices, and prompting gunfire within the halls of Congress.
The Capitol Hill complex went on lockdown on Wednesday after planned “Stop the Steal” protests devolved into a violent breach of the congressional building. Trump called for peace but, in a series of tweets, appeared to defend his supporters, saying, “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots.”
“I’ve known Mike Pence forever,” Inhofe said after the chaos subsided. “I’ve never seen Pence as angry as he was today.”
Inhofe stopped short of blaming Trump for Wednesday’s violence but criticized his lack of a clear message condemning what had occurred.
“He’s only put out one statement that I’m aware of,” Inhofe told Tulsa World. “This was really a riot. He should have shown more disdain for the rioters. I don’t want to say he should have apologized — that’s not exactly accurate — but he should have expressed more disdain.”
Trump instead lashed out against Pence, who on Wednesday issued a statement claiming he lacked the “unilateral authority” to reject the certification of the Electoral College votes.
“It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” he wrote.
As his supporters descended on Capitol Hill, Trump tweeted that “Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,” goading his followers with, “USA demands the truth!”
Trump also reportedly banned Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, from reentering the White House on Wednesday night. Trump lambasted Pence earlier on Wednesday for failing to take decisive steps to overturn the results of the election.
“I had a long conversation with [Pence],” Inhofe added. “He said, ‘After all the things I’ve done for [Trump].'”
