Former Vice President Mike Pence made his first public statements on Thursday following the recent indictment of former President Donald Trump by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia.
Speaking at the National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit in Indianapolis, Pence declared that the 2020 election “was not stolen” in Georgia.
“Despite the assertions of the former president and his supporters for over two and a half years, and their continuing insistence even at this moment, the Georgia election was not stolen, and I had no authority to overturn the election on January 6th,” he stated to the audience.
Pence acknowledged the difficulty of accepting this truth, and he expressed his earlier hope that judgment regarding those days would be left to the American people and history. However, Pence noted that this had not been the case.
He also emphasized that while all individuals implicated in the indictment deserve the presumption of innocence as every American does, no one is above the law.
Pence went on to commend Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who had also countered Trump’s allegations that the state was stolen from him following the indictment.
“The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen. For almost three years, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to present anything under oath in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair, and will continue to be as long as I am governor. The focus must be on the future of our country in 2024,” Kemp stated.
Kemp, back in July, had predicted Trump’s potential loss in Georgia if he received the Republican presidential nomination and continued to emphasize his claims of an unfair election.
Pence’s statements came after the Trump campaign criticized District Attorney Fani Willis and other prosecutors over the indictment related to allegations that Trump sought to invalidate Georgia’s 2020 election results.
In a statement attributed to the campaign, they labeled Willis a “rabid partisan” and accused her of strategically stalling the investigation to interfere with the 2024 presidential race.
Trump and his allies have accused Willis and others of engaging in “election interference” aimed at undermining his 2024 presidential campaign.
Willis had expressed her intention to put Trump on trial within six months, but legal analysts and former prosecutors have questioned the feasibility of such a timeline.
“Considering her previous case against a rapper and others in 2022, it raises questions about the timing of this case and how quickly it can come to trial,” noted CNN anchor Sara Sidner during a segment featuring federal prosecutor Jennifer Rodgers.
The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen.
For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward – under oath – and prove anything in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I… pic.twitter.com/jaru2iBDo7
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) August 15, 2023