Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday accused unnamed figures of attempting to rewrite the history of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and denounced a $1.78 billion fund established by the Trump administration to compensate individuals who claim they were victims of government weaponization.
In a series of television appearances, Pence told CBS's Face the Nation that there has been a clear effort to distort what happened that day. “Look, I’m very confident in the judgment of history in the years ahead about our role, about all the Republicans and Democrats who returned that day after Capitol Police secured the Capitol, and we all did our duty under the Constitution, but there’s clearly been an effort by some to rewrite that history, but I don’t expect it’ll work,” he said.
Pence specifically pointed to a timeline posted by the White House on the anniversary of the attack that he said blamed Capitol Hill police for the insurrection. “I was offended on the anniversary of January 6 when the White House put out a timeline that literally blamed Capitol Hill police for the riot that took place that day,” he told anchor Margaret Brennan.
The White House has also launched a website praising President Trump for his handling of the January 6 attack and his decision to grant mass pardons to rioters on the first day of his second term. The Department of Justice, meanwhile, set up a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund as part of a settlement stemming from Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. The fund is designed to provide payouts and formal apologies to those who pursue settlements claiming government wrongdoing.
Two law enforcement officers injured during the riot—former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges—have sued to block payouts from the fund. Dunn argued that Trump is using the fund to put a “retainer on a mob” of rioters who attempted to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election. In a related development, former judges have urged a court to probe the IRS settlement and the fund’s creation.
Pence also criticized the fund during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, calling it a “bad idea.” “I mean, it’s deeply offensive to me that you could have a fund that could even possibly compensate people who assaulted police officers or vandalized the Capitol on January 6th. And I think that’s broadly held by most Republicans and most Americans,” he said.
The former vice president’s comments come amid ongoing tensions with Trump. Pence has acknowledged that his relationship with the former president has been strained since he refused to overturn the 2020 election results. Senate Republicans recently blocked an effort by Senator Ruben Gallego to halt the $1.78 billion fund, highlighting the continuing partisan divide over the riot and its aftermath.
