On Sunday, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy voiced his opinion on former Vice President Mike Pence’s actions on January 6, 2021, saying Pence missed a “historic opportunity” when he refused to intervene in the ceremonial counting of electoral votes to prevent what former President Trump referred to as a “rigged election.”
During an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Ramaswamy was asked if he believed Pence had done the right thing on Jan. 6, a question that was tossed around at the Republican debate on Wednesday that several candidates were pressed on but that he managed to avoid.
“I would have done it very differently,” Ramaswamy said when asked whether Pence did the right thing. “I think that there was a historic opportunity that he missed to reunite this country in that window.”
Ramaswamy gave the answer he had prepared for the debate had the moderators pressed him to answer the question.
“What I would have said is, this is a moment for a true national consensus where there’s two elements of what’s required for a functioning democracy in America. One is secure elections, and the second is a peaceful transfer of power. When those things come into conflict, that’s an opportunity for heroism. Here’s what I would have said: We need single day voting on Election Day. We need paper ballots, and we need government issued ID matching the voter file. And if we achieve that, then we have achieved victory, and we should not have any further complaint about election integrity,” Ramaswamy added.
Pence faced fierce backlash from Trump and his supporters after he declined Trump’s repeated requests to reject or call into question the validity of the Electoral College votes that were cast in Biden’s favor.
Pence was later escorted to safety that day after the situation in and around the Capitol escalated and some individuals entered the building, with some chanting, “Hang Mike Pence.”
On the debate stage, most candidates said Pence did the right thing that day. The only one to waver was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but when he was pressed to answer he conceded that Pence did his job that day, and that he has no “beef” with the former vice president.
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