Iowa’s Pence characterizes Trump’s potential prosecution as “politically motivated.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday in Des Moines that “no one is above the law,” but he also described the potential charge against former President Donald Trump as “politically motivated” and “alarming.”
“Well, here we go again. Another politically motivated persecution of a former President of the United States,” Pence said.
On Saturday, Pence spoke at a foreign policy event with Senator Joni Ernst sponsored by the Bastion Institute. After that, he answered questions from reporters about Trump’s possible indictment and arrest by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Trump could reportedly face charges for allegedly paying silence money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Asked whether Trump should be prosecuted if he broke the law, Pence said the investigation, possible indictment and arrest were politically motivated.
“The idea of indicting a former President of the United States is deeply troubling to me, as it is to tens of millions of Americans, and in particular what is happening in a politically charged environment in New York, where the Attorney General and other elected officials have literally campaigned for a promise to prosecute responsibility [former president Trump]”, Pence said.
The reporter asked again, “What if he broke the law?”
Pence said, “No one is above the law. I’m sure President Trump can take care of himself. My focus will remain on the issues that affect the American people today.”
In a post on Truth Social, a conservative social network, Trump said he expects to be arrested and charged on Tuesday.
Trump also called on supporters to protest.
In response to Trump’s call for his supporters to protest the trial, Pence said Americans have the right to protest peacefully, but condemned any violent action.
Ernst also stressed the need for protests to avoid violence. “They must be peaceful. What we don’t want to see is violence. Protests are normal when done right.”
Pence was making his second trip to Iowa this year ahead of the 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses. Last month, he rallied Republicans in Cedar Rapids during a speech with Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Asked if he had a timeline for a possible announcement of a presidential nomination, Pence said he and his wife Karen expect to make a decision “in the spring.”
This article first appeared on the Iowa Capital Dispatch, a sister site of the Nebraska Examiner on the State News Network.
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