Former Vice President Mike Pence, who pushed for earlier deployment of National Guard troops to the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots, said on Sunday that he welcomed President Trump’s recent decision to send federal troops to Washington to combat crime.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Mr. Pence was asked about Mr. Trump’s aggressive push of federal troops compared with his lack of urgency on Jan. 6, when it took hours for the Guard to arrive.
In response, Mr. Pence inhaled and shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, Jan. 6 was a tragic day, but I know we did our duty that day, I wish the president would have done more,” he said. “But I welcome his decision to deploy the National Guard and essentially federalize the D.C. Police Department.”
“I think is important what the president is doing and I fully support it,” he added. “I think the American people welcome the president taking decisive action to ensure the streets of our nation’s capital are safe.”
Back on Jan. 6, an angry mob chanting “hang Mike Pence” at one point came within 40 feet of the vice president. Mr. Pence was critical in trying to move National Guard forces to the Capitol, but Mr. Trump initially refused, even as police officers were overrun.
Last week, Mr. Trump said he needed to send federal troops to protect Washington because the nation’s capital had been overrun with “violent gangs and blood thirsty criminals,” misstating crime data to justify the action.
Already, 800 National Guard troops have been deployed from the D.C. National Guard. At Mr. Trump’s request, an additional 700 troops are being deployed by the governors of West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio, all of whom are Republicans.
Talya Minsberg is a Times reporter covering breaking and developing news.
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