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For the first half of his speech as the Republican representative at the annual Gridiron Club dinner, Mike Pence served up the typical mix of self-deprecating humor and jabs at the political opposition.
But then, the former vice president turned serious and did what most Republican presidential hopefuls have avoided. He rejected House GOP characterizations of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection as a typical tourist visit and condemned former President Donald Trump for inciting it.
“His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol, and I believe history will hold Donald Trump accountable for January 6th,” Trump’s former vice president said.
It was a dramatic bid by Pence to separate from the rest of the GOP presidential field — and from the president he so loyally served until he refused to help Trump overturn the 2020 election. It went where some GOP strategists say is politically dangerous.
Pence drew cheers from the elegantly clad audience of journalists, news executives, lawmakers and Democratic administration officials. But the more important question will be how his words play among the former vice president’s fellow Republicans.
Pence spoke days after Fox News host Tucker Carlson, to whom House Speaker Kevin McCarthy released thousands of hours of internal congressional surveillance tapes from that day, said, “Taken as a whole, the video does not support the claim that January 6 was an insurrection. In fact, it demolishes that claim.”
Many Senate Republicans criticized Carlson’s characterization, which echoes that of pro-Trump House Republicans. But Pence made clear he differs.
“I don’t know whether you noticed,” he said, “but one thing I haven’t joked about is January 6th. January 6th was a tragic day for our nation. It was not, as some would have us believe, a matter of tourists peacefully enjoying our Capitol.”
“What happened that day was a disgrace,” Pence continued, “and it mocks decency to portray it in any other way.”
Pence credited the press for helping to ensure “the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution.”
“We were able to stay at our post because you stayed at your post,” he said. “The American people know what happened that day because you never stopped reporting. Your work inspired our actions and the actions of all the elected officials who reconvened the very same day and turned a day of tragedy into a triumph of freedom.”
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu last year criticized Trump, calling the former president “crazy,” before adding, “I don’t think he’s so crazy that you could put him in a mental institution. But I think if he were in one, he ain’t getting out.”
By contrast, Pence came to the 138th anniversary dinner of the capital’s oldest journalistic organization this year to send a message to his fellow Republicans. His words surprised New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who spoke next.
“I’m not in the business of giving Republicans advice, and frankly I think you’re nuts to run against Trump,” he said. “But if you’re gonna do it, you’ve got to have some nuts.”
Murphy’s comments seemed out of sync with what the former vice president had done. But the ultimate impact remains to be seen.
