U.S.

Trump Defends People Who Threatened Pence During Jan. 6 Riot

In a taped interview, Donald Trump defended those who had threatened to harm former Vice President Mike Pence during the January 6 riot.

Trump Defends People Who Threatened Pence During Jan. 6 Riot
Jose Luis Magana / AP
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In a taped interview with ABC News' Jonathan Karl, former President Donald Trump defended those who had threatened to harm former Vice President Mike Pence during the Jan. 6 riot. 

The audio was shared with Axios. Let's take a listen. 

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? 

This clip is from a 90-minute interview from March while at Mar-a-Lago. 

It was for Karl's book "Betrayal," which hits stores next week. 

Following numerous investigations, there has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.