Mike Pence says Jan 6 rioters who attacked police 'should never get a dime'
WASHINGTON, DC: Former Vice President Mike Pence issued one of his strongest attacks yet on President Donald Trump’s response to the January 6 Capitol riot, saying people who assaulted law enforcement officers or vandalized government property should never have been pardoned or receive any financial payment.
During an appearance on HBO’s ‘Real Time with Bill Maher' on Friday, June 5, Pence made a distinction between some Trump supporters who were at the Capitol protests and those who engaged in violence during the attack that disrupted Congress’ certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Bill Maher: Can we say some bad people were there, like the ones who wanted to hang you?
— Blue Georgia (@BlueGeorgia) June 6, 2026
Mike Pence: Anyone who assaulted a police officer, sought to disrupt the counting of Electoral College votes, never should have been pardoned. I never felt a greater sense of resolve any day… pic.twitter.com/6IIVAYRV06
Mike Pence draws line on January 6 pardons
Asked whether there was room for a middle ground in evaluating those who participated in the Capitol riot, Pence said not everyone involved should be viewed the same way.
“OK, so, I mean, it seems like we could, so many of these things we could come to some agreement with the middle, like January 6, like, Trump, pardon everybody," host Bill Maher said, before asking, "Could we say that, yes, some people were there just for reasons of who knows, they weren’t exactly tourists, but they weren’t t having horrible intent. Other people? Can we say some bad people were here, like the ones who wanted to hang you? Can we say those were bad people?”
His comments once again highlighted one of the most enduring rifts between Trump and his former vice president, whose relationship fractured after the attack on the Capitol and the dispute over certification of the 2020 election results.
Pence replied, “Bill, I made it clear I had no problem with the president pardoning people who got caught up in that day.”
“But for anyone who assaulted a police officer, anybody that violated and vandalized the seat of our government and sought to disrupt the counting of Electoral college votes, those people never should have been pardoned, and they should never get a dime,” he stressed.
Trump's decision to pardon many January 6 defendants has remained controversial, with supporters arguing some were unfairly prosecuted and critics contending the move diminished accountability for violence against police officers and the Capitol itself.
Moreover, the Trump administration recently abandoned plans for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which critics from both parties argued could have benefited Jan 6 rioters.
Mike Pence reflects on threats directed at him during Capitol riot
Maher also pressed Pence on the threats directed at him during the riot, including chants by some protesters calling for him to be hanged after he refused Trump's demands to reject electoral votes from key battleground states.
Maher asked, “So, no ill feelings about the hanging thing?”
Pence replied, “You know, I get, you know…”
Maher followed up, “Did you ever fear for your life? Do you, did you actually fear that they would, that that could happen?”
Pence said, “Well, to be honest with you, I never felt a greater sense of resolve any day in my life than on January 6.”
Although Pence has generally avoided direct attacks on Trump since leaving office, his latest comments underscore that January 6 remains a defining point of disagreement between the two former running mates.
