Global Courant
Former Vice President Mike Pence defended former President Donald Trump’s right to have his day in court, but dodged questions about whether Trump should be convicted if the charges against him prove true.
Pence appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday for a lengthy interview with host Chuck Todd. Todd started the conversation by mentioning Trump’s indictment and subsequent appearance at a federal courthouse in Miami, but Pence repeatedly dodged the host’s questions.
“You have read this indictment. If the allegations are true and proven in court, do you think the former president should be convicted?’ Todd asked.
“Well, let me start with the news in our lives first, Chuck,” Pence said, referring to his launching a presidential campaign the week before. “I think this country is in big trouble. I think President Biden has weakened this country at home and abroad. Virtually every crisis we face in this country, both at home and abroad, is literally the result of the decisions of this president.”
PENCE FLAMES TRUMP IN 2024 CAMPAIGN LAUNCH, SAYS FORMER BOSS HAS PLACED HIMSELF ‘OVER THE CONSTITUTION’
Former Vice President Mike Pence has declined to weigh in on whether former President Donald Trump should be convicted if the allegations against him prove true. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Pence further complained that America was in a position where one of its former presidents was in federal court, but he did not weigh in on a possible conviction. Todd then pressed the president again.
TRUMP’S GOP OPPOSITES TEST DIFFERENT REACTIONS TO HIS ANNOUNCEMENT AS THEY JOCKEY FOR A POSITION BEHIND HIM
‘Please talk about it. If the charges are true, do you think he deserves to be convicted?’ Todd asked again.
“First, at times like this, I think it’s important for leaders in this country… to get back to first principles. The first principle is that no one is above the law. The second principle is that everyone has a right on a presumption of innocence,” Pence responded.
“I have read the indictment in detail and the allegations in the indictment are serious, and I cannot defend what is alleged. But the former president deserves his day in court. He deserves the chance to make his defense in a court of law .” of the law. So I don’t want to pass judgment on this,” he continued.
Former President Donald Trump deserves the chance to defend himself in court, says former Vice President Mike Pence. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Trump pleaded not guilty in federal court on Tuesday to 37 federal charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his alleged improper custody of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Pence more heavily criticized Trump in another interview with the New York Post, brushing off the former president’s willingness to increase spending as much as President Biden. Reaffirming his support for the pro-life movement, Pence also criticized Trump for claiming that the losses in the 2022 midterm elections resulted from the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter at Fox News Digital covering national politics and major news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
