Former Vice President Mike Pence and former President Donald Trump had very different reactions to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and it looks like not much has changed over the last five months.
That day, Pence had to be escorted to safety when a pro-Trump mob — some of them yelling "Hang Mike Pence!" — stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Trump, meanwhile, was sympathetic to the rioters, saying in a video message, "We love you. You're very special. ... You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace."
Pence discussed the attack during a speech in New Hampshire on Thursday, saying he still regularly speaks with Trump, and while he doesn't "know if we'll ever see eye to eye" on the riot, "I will always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years."
Pence then turned his attention to Democrats and "their allies in the media," saying he "will not allow" them to "use one tragic day to discredit the aspirations of millions of Americans" or "distract our attention from a new administration intent on dividing our country to advance their radical agenda."
Democrats have been pushing for a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. Last month, 35 House Republicans helped pass a bill to establish the commission, but Senate Republicans filibustered the legislation.