Trump Defends ‘Hang Mike Pence’ Chant to Jonathan Karl In Stunning Audio
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BREAKING: Trump Defends ‘Hang Mike Pence’ Chant to Jonathan Karl In Stunning Audio
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Former President Donald Trump defended the chants of “Hang Mike Pence” that rang throughout the Capitol building on January 6th during an interview with Betrayal author and ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl. Audio was obtained and published exclusively by Axios.
Mike Allen reports that the audio is a snippet from a 90-minute interview — conducted at Mar-a-Lago on March 18 — for Karl’s book, which has already thrown off a surfeit of stunning headlines . Karl published audio of the interview via Twitter:
Rioters on January 6th attacked Capitol police and invaded the Capitol building in an effort to stop the certification of the electoral college and overturn the results of the 2020 General Election. Trump had long contended, baselessly, that the election result was due to massive voter fraud, but was unable to prove that in any court of law.
Trump then turned to his Vice President to stop the election certification, which he refused. This made Pence the target of Trump’s animus and this legion of followers that and invaded the capital, many of whom chanted “ Hang Mike Pence ” as they entered the building.
Karl asked the former President about that, to which Trump nonchalantly defended, in part, because he thought he was “well-protected” and had “heard that he was in good shape.” Karl revealed during a recent interview with Stephen Colbert this week that photos exist of Pence hiding from rioters in the bowels of the Capitol building but he was not allowed to publish them.
A transcript of the back and forth was published by Axios :
Jonathan Karl: “ Were you worried about him during that siege? Were you worried about his safety?”
Trump: “No, I thought he was well-protected, and I had heard that he was in good shape. No. Because I had heard he was in very good shape. But, but, no, I think — ”
Karl: “Because you heard those chants — that was terrible. I mean — ”
Trump: “He could have — well, the people were very angry.”
Karl: “They were saying ‘hang Mike Pence.'”
Trump: “Because it’s common sense, Jon. It’s common sense that you’re supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent, right? — how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress? How can you do that? And I’m telling you: 50/50, it’s right down the middle for the top constitutional scholars when I speak to them. Anybody I spoke to — almost all of them at least pretty much agree, and some very much agree with me — because he’s passing on a vote that he knows is fraudulent. How can you pass a vote that you know is fraudulent? Now, when I spoke to him, I really talked about all of the fraudulent things that happened during the election. I didn’t talk about the main point, which is the legislatures did not approve — five states. The legislatures did not approve all of those changes that made the difference between a very easy win for me in the states, or a loss that was very close, because the losses were all very close.”
The audio reveals Trump to be dispassionate and calm while he is pivoting from defending the chants to hang his Vice President to his obsession over “fraudulent things that happened during the election.” But it will be evident to many who hear the video that Trump feels that Pence’s “passing on a vote” in defense of the events of January 6th are as big an issue to him as the Capitol attacks.
Hear the snippet of the audio at Axios .
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Trump displays depraved indifference to chants for his vice president to be hung.
Trump 24. Really?
No wonder Pence didn't want to get in a car to be evacuated on J6. If he had gotten in that car, I bet that he would have never been seen again.
Trumpturd was getting off while watching all his domestic terrorist incited (by him) mob on TV - 'they're doing this for me!' while they whisked pussy Pence off to some undisclosed location while pussy Pence still defends the traitor turd trumpturd.
People were angry that day.
That exchange can only be read as Trump saying that the "hang Mike Pence" chants were justified.
That is fine with you?
Not to my way of reading.
We'll chip in to buy you some new glasses.
As long as you memorialize my comments I'll be happy.
That is your interpretation. One you had prior to getting past the headline. "But Trump" is your MO. And it's quite sad to witness.
Trump is asked about the chant.
His reply is "it was common sense."
Now we have the right denying what is right in front of their faces. America is currently in a degraded state because the political right does not accept reality.
When are you going to start displaying any competence on this forum?
Long before you do..............In fact, I'm already ahead of you and you've been here longer. Go figure.
Sure
(((DeanObeidallah)))
@DeanObeidallah
Let’s do a Jeopardy style question: In this country a President plotted a coup and then incited a terrorist attack on the Capitol to remain in power yet when that failed, he went 100% unpunished-In fact, was celebrated by his political party. Answer: What is the USA?!
You need to follow the news more closely.
The alleged conservatives/gqp/gop are agreeing that this was a fraudulent vote. All lies. Yet it's still supported.
Never.
As long as you memorialize my comments I'll be happy.
Remember when they were chanting HANG MIKE PENCE and you claimed that wasn’t what they were saying? How’s that for memorializing?
I long ago jotted that down to unworthy of investigation.
I think that's what you heard, rather than what I said.
They're just words. Like when they chant "Fuck Joe Biden" they don't really want to fuck Joe Biden, they just want him to know they're pissed at his incompetence.
Why were they angry?
They're just words. Like when they chant "Fuck Joe Biden" they don't really want to fuck Joe Biden, they just want him to know they're pissed at his incompetence.
Did The FJB crowd bring a heart shaped bed and chocolate covered strawberries to their chanting fest? Because the HMP crowd brought gallows and wrist restraints to back up their chant.
I think that's what you heard, rather than what I said.
When literally everyone who isn’t a Trump sycophant heard it they knew exactly what was being clearly chanted, and your response was “are you sure they were all chanting that?” Permit me to refresh your memory:
This comment got etched in my brain as the moment I realized that the right had sank yet to another low. There’s seems to be no bottom to their deplorability.
He opted to be secluded in a safe room at the capitol.
Not surprising at all.
It's telling that there are many not throwing the same hissy fit that the chants were being made. Could they be part of the group calling for somebody to be killed? My guess is that they are. That much is evident in their seeds and comments. This is the same group who are still under the ill informed belief that there was collusion by the previous administration and they, somehow, don't grasp the failure that is the current administration.
I like Jonathan Karl. Karl is so biased that the Democrats' misinformation and propaganda are easy to decipher. Karl may be a partisan hack but, at least, he is reliable.
Karl is attempting to make a big deal about a chant. The fact that the mob was not searching the building for Mike Pence (or any other Congressmen) doesn't register. It's all about the optics; not about any facts. The facts are Mike Pence was never in any real danger. Those soiled undies can be washed.
Karl's bias makes it readily apparent that Democrats' view Trump as the Republican version of Clinton. And Trump plays along by claiming 'a vast left wing conspiracy'. In the past Trump hobnobbed with the elite of the Democratic Party. Trump's biggest crime is that he changed sides. Trump stopped feeding so Democrats have started biting. If Trump has won 2016 as a Democrat then Jonathan Karl's propaganda would be quite different but just as biased.
Very few liberals that I know of have any use for Jonathan Karl.
He is not even close to being "liberal".
Whether liberal or not, Jonathan Karl is true blue. Democrats can do no wrong, no matter what Democrats are.
you must be looking at a different Jonathan Karl.