‘Americans will rally around constitution’: Mike Pence tells Sky News he has confidence in upcoming election process
Three years after rioters shouted “hang Mike Pence” during the attack on the US Capitol, the former vice president has said he did the right thing that day.
Mr Pence told Sky News that since the riots on January 6 2021, he has “lost count of the number of people who took a moment to thank me – from literally every walk of life, from every political background – for the stand that we took”.
He said Americans “cherish our constitution, and they cherish the liberties enshrined there”.
He added: “I’m confident that the American people will rally around their constitution once again. I look forward to playing some part in that decision in the days ahead.”
Mike Pence says he did the right thing on 6 January 2021
After he lost the 2020 election, Donald Trump became convinced Mr Pence somehow had the power to overturn the results, which is not something a vice president could do.
When he refused to act on the idea, Mr Pence became a traitor in the eyes of the then president and his supporters.
At one point in the Capitol riots, crowds were reported to be chanting “hang Mike Pence”, after Mr Trump publicly called on him to refuse to certify the election.
Watch Wilfred Frost’s interview with Mike Pence on the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips show on Sky News tomorrow at 8.30am, which will also feature a live interview of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Saturday is the last anniversary of the attacks before the next presidential election.
Five people died during the riot and the immediate aftermath, including Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by police.
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Trump: What Biden has done to US ‘unthinkable’
All told, 140 police officers were injured in the attack, including US Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, who died later.
Several others took their own lives.
One officer, Harry Dunn, has announced he is running for Congress to “ensure it never happens again”.
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Officer crushed in door as mob storm Capitol
Mr Pence, who was once considered one of the favourites to become the Republican nominee for 2024, suspended his campaign in October after struggling to raise money and support.
Mr Trump, the overwhelming frontrunner to win the nomination, enjoys one of the biggest primary opinion poll leads in US electoral history, despite a series of legal and political setbacks since leaving office.
He currently faces more than 90 criminal charges in federal and state courts.
The former president was barred from running in the primaries in Maine and Colorado over his role in encouraging the riots.
On Friday, in a speech in Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden accused Mr Trump of being “willing to sacrifice democracy” in order to win this year’s vote.
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Capitol security officer flees angry mob
More than 1,200 defendants have been charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol and hundreds more have been identified but not yet arrested, prosecutors said this week.
Three people accused of participating in the riot were arrested on Saturday in Florida, the FBI said.
On Thursday, Christopher Worrell, one of the Proud Boys from Florida, was jailed for 10 years for using pepper spray on police officers during the attack.
The Proud Boys, who have long been some of former President Trump’s most vocal and violent supporters, were at the forefront of the violence on January 6 2021.
Children are among the fatalities in a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in California.
Police said four people had died and 10 were wounded in the incident in Stockton, about 60 miles east of San Francisco.
Officers were called on Saturday to a banquet hall just before 6pm local time (2am UK time) and district attorney Ron Freitas said children were among the dead.
He said the attacker was still at large.
First responders walk through a parking lot near the scene of a mass shooting in Stockton, California. Pics: AP
“We can confirm at this time that approximately 14 individuals were struck by gunfire, and four victims have been confirmed deceased,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said on X.
The post said early indications suggest it could be a “targeted incident” but that information remains limited.
Police have so far not disclosed the attacker’s identity and the motive is unclear.
Stockton’s vice mayor Jason Lee confirmed on Facebook that the shooting on Lucile Avenue happened at a child’s birthday party.
Pics: AP
Mayor Christina Fugazzi also said that “families should be together instead of at the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying that they survive”.
California governor Gavin Newsom’s office added that he had been briefed on the “horrific shooting”.
Venezuela has accused Donald Trump of a “colonial threat” after he said the airspace “above and surrounding” the country should be considered closed “in its entirety”.
Mr Trump made the declaration amid growing tensions with President Maduro – and as the US continues attacking boats it claims are carrying drugs from Venezuela.
He wrote on Truth Social: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Air traffic above Venezuela on Saturday afternoon. Pic: FlightRadar24
Venezuela’s foreign affairs office called it a “colonial threat” and “illegal, and unjustified aggression”.
It accused the president of threatening “the sovereignty of the national airspace… and the full sovereignty of the Venezuelan state”.
President Trump’s words were part of a “permanent policy of aggression against our country” that breached international law and the UN Charter, it added.
The Pentagon and the White House have so far not given any additional detail on the president’s statement.
Mr Trump’s post comes after the American aviation regulator last week warned of a “potentially hazardous situation” over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation”.
Nicolas Maduro is widely considered a dictator by the West. Pic: Reuters
The South American nation revoked operating rights for six major airlines that went on to suspend flights to the country.
Mr Trump warned a few days ago that land operations against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers would begin “very soon”.
Such a move would be a major escalation in Operation Southern Spear – the US naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that’s so far attacked at least 21 vessels.
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Three killed as US strikes another alleged drug boat
Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.
The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.
Read more:
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The US-Venezuela crisis explained
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Venezuela claims Trump creating ‘fables’ to justify ‘war’
The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as “foreign terrorist organisations” – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda.
It claims the boats targeted are carrying drugs bound for the US, although Sky’s chief correspondent says the final destination is likely to be Europe and West Africa.
President Maduro has denied Mr Trump’s claims he is involved in the drugs trade himself and said his counterpart wants to oust him so he can install a more sympathetic government.
Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves.
Mr Maduro is widely considered a dictator who’s cheated elections and has been president since 2013.
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