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

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

06/06/26 3:28 PM ET


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

In an interview on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” comedian and host Bill Maher asked Pence about the rioters’ intent at the Capitol, including those who chanted to hang Pence — a chant that Trump reportedly reacted approvingly to as the events unfolded, according to an account given to the House committee that was investigating Jan. 6.

“I had no problem with the president pardoning people who got caught up in that day,” Pence said. “But for anyone who assaulted a police officer, anybody that violated and vandalized the seat of our government and sought to disrupt the counting of electoral college votes, those people never should have been pardoned and they should never get a dime.”

On the first day of his second term, Trump issued mass pardons to Jan. 6 defendants, including individuals convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers. Trump has listed a number of reasons for pardoning rioters, namely their treatment by the prosecution and the justice system. The Trump administration recently abandoned plans for a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that was part of a settlement between Trump and the IRS in a $10 billion lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5913383-pence-criticizes-trump-pardons/

[irisblue]

1. I can see his point (& it does annoy me that I agree with Pence) a few of the traitors wanted to hang him

[BaronChocula]

2. "...they should never get a dime."

And I don't think you should give liquor to babies. There. The media should be quoting me any minute now.

[littlemissmartypants]

3. How much did he get paid for this Captain Obvious declaration?

[DeeDeeNY]

4. No problem with "people caught up in that day" ??

Strange phrase for someone who heard chants of Hang Mike Pence yelled by a violent mob who broke windows to forcibly and unlawfully enter a government building to interrupt the formal counting of electoral votes on a day that the Capitol was completely closed to tourists because of Covid. The same violent mob that erected a noose for Pence and who had members of Congress running for cover in fear for their lives.

[JT45242]

7. Had they caught him...

They would have forced him to watch his wife and daughter getting raped before they killed him...but they were just caught up in the moment when they brought the wood and rope to make a gallows as they were swept up in the excitement.

He was less than 90 seconds from that scenario. And yet he still kisses the ass.

[nuxvomica]

10. I know a MAGA person who was there that day

She was one of those people who often traveled to attend Trump rallies and had had some experience as an antiwar protester in the 1960s. But she drew the line at passing the barriers on January 6. She knew it was wrong. She didn't get a pardon because she didn't need one. She was "caught up in that day" but refused to cross a bright line. They all could have.

[travelingthrulife]

11. This is exactly right. No one forced them to break the law.

[KPN]

14. Me too. Sadly s misguided brother. But at least he did make the choice to not

march to the Capitol from the rally. He recognized the difference between protest and insurrection and chose to leave for home.

We were close, but don't communicate much anymore since Trump. Sad.

[efhmc]

15. Humans who not only know right from wrong but practice it will save our country.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. VP Mike Pence on Jan. 6th

Bill asks former Vice President Mike Pence about the pardoning of the Jan. 6th rioters and his mindset during the 2021 Capitol attack. - 06/05/2026.

[Bengus81]

6. He had no problem with Trump pardoning J6 people?? I fucking did!

Same ole',same ole' Pence.

[Norrrm]

8. Now, why would Pence have any feelings about Jan6?

[popsdenver]

16. Trump even said to Secret Service

don't bother with Metal Detectors THEY ARE NOT AFTER US, WE ARE SAFE.............

Pence and the Senate and House could have halted them and stopped the insurrection from ever happening.......

[bif]

22. How do you "diable a metal detector"?

[Norrrm]

23. Oops!

[tymfinity46]

9. Just attempting to

erase his embarrassing vice presidency to the most corrupt imbecile president in american history

[ChicagoTeamster]

12. Well they wanted to hang him. I agree with him. I bet he runs for the Republican nomination in 2028. Nobody likes Vance.

Trumpers hate Vance. And Trumpers may try to run Don Jr in 2028 but there's no Constitutional provision for that. Mainstream Republicans and independents will kill that in a primary.

[Norrrm]

17. Does Trump respect Vance?

Does Trump respect Vance?...
------------
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/562054-jd-vance-trump-views-people-who-kiss-his-a-all-the-time-as-weak/

JD Vance: Trump views people who ‘kiss his a– all the time’ as ‘weak (2021)
------------
"JD is kissing my ass..." (2022)

[ChicagoTeamster]

18. Trump wants to burn it all down so there's no one after him. He can't run again.

But he doesn’t want Vance to get it. He’ll probably be pushing for Ivanka to Run to keep the family grift going.

[Norrrm]

19. Ivanka has experience interacting with world leaders.

[ChicagoTeamster]

29. And Eric has experience accidently telling reporters that Trump got all his money from the Russians. That's before Jared

started getting money from oil rich gulf states.

[Figarosmom]

31. She's not nearly as attractive as she thinks she is.

She's a bit grotesque.

[Karasu]

21. It's 2026, we live under fascism, and people here are STILL talking about "mainstream Republicans", as if "moderate" and

“mainstream” are remotely the same thing.

[Blumancru]

26. There are no mainstream Republicans in the classic sense

The Republican Party as we knew it is long dead. There is only MAGA.

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Remember Bu**sh**'s "They tried to kill my Daddy" (so I bombed Iraq) ? Pence can say ...

"Fuck that, they tried to kill me ! And they weren't Saddam's people, they were Trmp's !"

Make that Donald Hussein al-Tikriti.

[Karasu]

20. The distinction he's making here is worthless in the case of insurrection. An insurrectionist is an insurrectionist.

There aren’t “good” ones and “bad” ones, as much as Republicans would like to believe that. They tried to FORCE the government to change election results. The insurrection itself is the crime.

If you didn’t leave after Trump’s incendiary speech, you clearly didn’t have a problem with what he was telling you to do, anyhow.

[DeeDeeNY]

24. This is the same Mike Pence who led chants of

"Lock Her Up" about Hillary at the '16 Republican Convention.

[yankee87]

25. Spineless

He’s still shilling for MAGA. There is no middle ground.

[riversedge]

27. Good for Pence for saying this--hopefully other Repugs will get the hint also.

[dem4decades]

28. Maybe they should ask Mrs Pence, she might have now courage than her husband.

[Figarosmom]

30. There were none NONE that were sent to prison

Or needed pardoned for " getting caught up in that day". All of them that went to prison, that trump pardoned were found guilty of breaking some law WITH EVIDENCE. Everyone including Pence SHOULD KNOW THAT.

[LudwigPastorius]

32. "I had no problem with the president pardoning people who got caught up in that day,"

Nice to see that some things never change.

Mike Pence is still an amorphous, Republican-shaped blob in a suit.