Pence calls – Mike Pence on Sunday condemned Donald Trump’s proposed Anti-Weaponization Fund, calling any effort to compensate people tied to the Jan. 6 attack “totally unacceptable” and “deeply offensive.” The former vice president said Trump should “drop” the idea after d
Mike Pence was still a step inside history when the Capitol was seized by Trump supporters—yet he says he can’t accept what comes next.
During a Sunday appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation. ” the former vice president addressed the Anti-Weaponization Fund. a nearly $1.8 billion settlement-linked pool that supporters say would compensate people who believe they were unfairly targeted by the Department of Justice. Pence pushed back hard, arguing that the idea of paying those involved in the Jan. 6 violence crosses a line.
“I’ll never minimize what happened on January 6. I’ll always believe, by God’s grace, we did our duty that day… the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution,” Pence said. Then he turned directly to the concept being floated for the Anti-Weaponization Fund.
“This talk of a weaponization fund, the idea of creating a fund that could compensate people that assaulted police officers and vandalized the Capitol that day is totally unacceptable. My hope is the administration will drop it. Drop the idea entirely.”
Pence’s comments arrive after public clashes with Trump that have only intensified since the end of the president’s first term. Pence has objected to what he described as issues tied to Trump’s Cabinet and to Trump’s aborted tariff scheme. Trump, in return, has repeatedly called Pence weak after Pence refused to nullify the 2020 election.
The tension has come through in stark private claims as well. The former vice president was warned. according to reports from ex-special counsel Jack Smith. that if he didn’t overturn the 2020 results during the certification process. he would “go down as a wimp.” Per the same reporting. Trump later shrugged off threats to Pence’s life on Jan. 6.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Pence pressed his demand again. He told Trump to “get rid of this fund. ” saying. “I mean. it’s deeply offensive to me that you could have a fund that could even possibly compensate people who assaulted police officers or vandalized the Capitol on January 6th. And I think that’s broadly held by most Republicans and most Americans.”.
At the center of Pence’s criticism is the moral and political question the fund represents: who gets compensated. and for what. Pence’s message was clear—he may speak about his duty on Jan. 6. but he doesn’t believe the country should build a mechanism that reaches back to those who assaulted police officers and vandalized the Capitol.
Mike Pence Donald Trump Anti-Weaponization Fund Jan. 6 IRS settlement Department of Justice Face the Nation Meet the Press