The pass from Pence comes as he ramps up criticism of his former boss on other matters. And it suggests that Trump’s major competitors in the 2024 GOP presidential primary will try to steer clear of his mounting legal problems.
But Pence kept up the harsher criticism of Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, that he delivered at the recent Gridiron dinner in Washington, in which he said history would hold the former president “accountable” for the riot.
Trump lashed out at the assertion during a campaign event in Iowa earlier this week and sought to shift blame for Jan. 6 onto Pence. But Pence parried back on Thursday in New Hampshire.
“I know our former president has said I had the right to overturn the election, but Donald Trump is wrong,” Pence said. “I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone.”
He also continued to push back against another potential rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, for…
This article was written by By Lisa Kashinsky and originally published on www.politico.com