Mike Pence plays down Trump protest threats

Former Vice President Mike Pence has played down concerns about possible protests this week encouraged by former President Donald Trump, who instigated the 2021 attacks on the US Capitol, saying people have the “right to assemble peacefully”.

“The American people have a constitutional right to peaceful assembly,” he said in an interview with ABC News on Saturday.

Anyone wishing to protest Trump’s self-predicted indictment for allegedly concealing silent money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign would know they must do so peacefully and legally, Pence said.

“The violence that happened on January 6, the violence that happened in cities across the country in the summer of 2020, was a disgrace,” he said, appearing to refer to both to the Capitol attack and protests unrelated to the police killing of George Floyd. “The American people will not tolerate it and those who engage in this kind of violence should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Pence further rejected the integrity of any charges against Trump, calling it a “politically charged prosecution.” He accused the Manhattan District Attorney of making Trump “his top priority” and said that “just tells you everything you need to know about the radical left.”

Earlier Saturday, Trump urged his supporters, in an all-caps social media post, to ‘PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST’ and ‘TAKE BACK OUR NATION’ while announcing his scheduled arrest on Tuesday in connection with a criminal investigation into $130,000 in alleged hidden money. which was paid to adult actor Stormy Daniels.

His message, which stated that ‘EVIL & SINISTER PEOPLE’ WAS ‘DESTROYING’ the military and the country, was similar to the call to action he made in inciting the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. American after losing his bid for re-election in 2020. A violent mob then ransacked the Capitol, killing several people.

Pence, in a speech earlier this month, directly blamed Trump’s “reckless” words for fueling the insurgency.

“President Trump was wrong. I had no right to cancel the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone on Capitol Hill that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable,” he told politicians and reporters at the annual presidential dinner. Gridiron Club in Washington.

Law enforcement officials in New York are planning additional security measures ahead of Trump’s possible indictment, multiple officials told The Associated Press on Friday. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg also told his employees in an email Saturday not to give in to any intimidation or threats following Trump’s call to protest.