Former Vice President Mike Pence described the news that the Manhattan District Attorney was planning to indict former President Donald Trump in the coming week as “deeply troubling” but noted violence wasn’t the answer as Trump called on his supporters to protest.
On Saturday (March 18), former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to share that an illegal leak from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office revealed that on March 20, Trump would be arrested in connection with the hush payment to Stormy Daniel’s during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Speaking to reporters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pence shared that “the idea” of arresting a former President is “deeply troubling,” not only to him but to “tens of millions of Americans.”
Pence also referenced the “politically charged environment in New York,” saying indicting Trump was a bad idea considering that many officials, including the Attorney General, had campaigned with the promise of prosecuting Trump.
However, the former Vice President added that “No one is above the law,” declaring his confidence that the former President could “take care of himself.”
Pence also addressed Trump’s call for protests, later saying that “violence will not be tolerated,” an apparent appeal to Trump supporters not to break the law.
The man at the center of the controversy — Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen — also explained that it would have been better for Trump to write “peaceful protest” when crafting his Truth Social Post, but explained Trump didn’t use those words because he didn’t want a peaceful protest.
