Former Vice President Mike Pence did not mince words when discussing the events of January 6th during a conversation with Tucker Carlson at the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines, Iowa. When Carlson asked Pence if he believed the events constituted an insurrection, Pence acknowledged it as a tragic day but stopped short of using the term “insurrection” himself.
Pence recounted his personal experience of being evacuated to the loading dock below the Senate chamber and witnessing the assault on law enforcement officers. He also mentioned the loss of life and the ransacking of the Capitol. When asked about the loss of life, Pence mentioned Ashli Babbitt, who was shot by a Capitol police officer, describing it as a tragic moment.
Expressing his anger at the sight of people assaulting law enforcement officers and breaking into the Capitol building, Pence commended the restraint shown by law enforcement, which he believed saved lives that day. He emphasized the importance of holding those responsible for the events of the January 6th Capitol riot accountable, as well as those responsible for the riots that occurred across the country after the death of George Floyd in 2020.
But I have to tell you that seeing people assaulting law enforcement officers, smashing windows, breaking into the Capitol Building — it infuriated me. And it’s very likely that the restraint that was shown by law enforcement officers saved lives that day.
While Pence took a measured stance on the events of January 6th, Carlson, who has been associated with promoting conspiracy theories regarding the Capitol riot, including the false flag theory, pursued a different narrative. Carlson’s involvement in the documentary Patriot Purge, which sought to reframe the events of January 6th, and his promotion of the conspiracy theory surrounding Ray Epps, a participant in the Capitol riot, have faced criticism and resulted in a defamation lawsuit against Fox News by Epps.
