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Pence says violent Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump ‘should never get a dime’

Former Vice President Pence said Friday that the Jan. 6 rioters who attacked police officers, damaged government property or attempted to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election in the 2021 attack on the Capitol should not be pardoned by President Trump and “should never receive a dime.”

In an interview on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” comedian and host Bill Maher asked Pence about the intentions of the rioters at the Capitol, including those chanting to hang Pence; was a slogan Trump reportedly uttered. reacted approvingly As events unfolded, according to a statement given to the House committee investigating Jan. 6.

“I had no problem with the president pardoning the people involved that day,” Pence said.

“But for anyone who attacked a police officer, violated and vandalized our seat of government, and tried to prevent the counting of electoral college votes, these people should never have been pardoned and should never have been given a dime.”

On the first day of his second term, Trump issued mass pardons for defendants, including those convicted of assaulting law enforcement on Jan. 6. Trump listed a number of reasons for pardoning the rioters, namely their treatment by prosecutors and the justice system.

The Trump administration recently abandoned plans for a $1.776 billion “anti-proliferation” fund that was part of a settlement in a $10 billion lawsuit between Trump and the IRS over leaked tax returns.

The fund, designed to compensate those who feel they were unfairly targeted by the federal government during previous administrations, has faced harsh criticism from lawmakers in both parties over concerns that the money would benefit Jan. 6 rioters.

Two law enforcement officials injured during the riots filed a lawsuit to block payments from the fund, arguing that the fund could meet the demands of Jan. 6 rioters who committed acts of violence.

Pence publicly criticized efforts to “rewrite” the history of what happened in the Capitol riot.

“I’ve certainly seen evidence of this, and I’m particularly disturbed that on the anniversary of January 6, the White House released a timeline that literally blamed the Capitol Hill police for the riot that occurred that day,” the former vice president said in an interview.

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