Former President Trump defended rioters’ chants of “hang Mike Pence” during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, saying it was understandable because they were angry the election hadn't been overturned, according to audio of an interview with Trump in March.
, saying it was understandable because they were angry the election hadn't been overturned, according to audio released Friday of an interview with the former president in March.
Karl then reminded Trump that some of his supporters involved in the violent attack were calling for Pence to be killed.“It’s common sense, Jon. It’s common sense that you’re supposed to protect,” Trump said. “How can you, if you know a vote is fraudulent, right, how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress?”
The Constitution required that on Jan. 6, Pence, who is the president of the Senate, was to oversee the opening the envelopes of certified electoral votes from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as tellers tallied the votes. During this process, Republican lawmakers attempted to challenge the results from certain states.