Pence accuses Trump of being responsible for Capitol riots

Mike Pence once again lashed out at Donald Trump. The former Vice President asked the justice system to charge Donald Trump as responsible for the riots that took place in the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

"President Trump was wrong. He had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable," Pence said during his speech at the Gridiron Club Dinner attended by journalists and politicians.

His words are yet another sign that Pence wants to distance himself from the events of January 6. "Make no mistake about it, what happened that day was a disgrace. And it mocks decency to portray it any other way," he added.

These statements come a month after Pence refused a subpoena from special prosecutor Jack Smith - who is investigating Donald Trump - to testify about events on Capitol Hill in 2021. It was the former Vice-President himself who refused to testify, as he also did when asked to do so by the now defunct House of Representatives committee investigating the case.

Without official confirmation, rumors suggest that Pence will run against Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries, so these statements by the former Vice-President can be interpreted as a weapon against the former President, who trusted him to be the second-in-command of the country.