Pence Rebukes Trump On Various Matters But Says Mar-A-Lago Indictment Would Be ‘Terribly Divisive To The Country’

U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence prepare to speak to the press in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on November 24, 2020 in Washington, DC.  (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

GOP presidential primary and former Vice President, Mike Pence, criticized Donald Trump on various issues during Wednesday’s CNN town hall event but said he doesn’t want the ex-president to be indicted in the Mar-A-Lago probe.

Pence, at the town hall event in Iowa, talked about his disapproval of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his praise of Vladimir Putin but urged the Justice Department not to indict his onetime boss. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to supporters as he formally announces his intention to seek the Republican nomination for president on June 07, 2023 in Ankeny, Iowa.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

According to Pence, Trump’s indictment would be “terribly divisive to the country” and “send a terrible message to the wider world.” 

“I hope the DOJ thinks better of it and resolves these issues without an indictment,” Pence said while advocating that “no one is above the law” and the ex-president should be punished for potential mishandling of classified documents without resorting to an indictment.

“I would just hope there would be a way for them to move forward without the dramatic and drastic and divisive step of indicting a former President of the United States. We’ve got to find a way to move our country forward and restore confidence in equal treatment under the law in this country. We really do.”

Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is seen on June 08, 2023, in Palm Beach, Florida. Reports indicate that the Department of Justice is preparing to ask a grand jury to indict former president Donald Trump for violating the Espionage Act and for obstruction of justice after documents, with some marked Top Secret, were seized when the FBI searched the estate. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

While the former vice president took questions from Iowa voters during Wednesday night’s event, he did say that Trump “should never” be president again. 

The former U.S. leader’s alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Florida estate is among several cases under investigation by the DOJ and special counsel Jack Smith. 

As per a recent report, federal prosecutors notified Trump that he is the target of an investigation into his handling of classified documents found at his residence, Mar-a-Lago. The letter indicates that Smith is nearing a decision regarding potential charges in his investigation against the former president.

Meanwhile, Pence said he would not pardon Jan. 6 rioters if he becomes president. “I have no interest or no intention of pardoning those that assaulted police officers or vandalized our Capitol. They need to answer to the law.”

The former vice president has joined the race for the White House in the 2024 GOP primary as Trump remains ahead in the polls.

 

Produced in association with Benzinga

Edited by Jessi Rexroad Shull and Alberto Arellano