Internet shreds Gov Kristi Noem as she calls question on Mike Pence's January 6 actions 'hypothetical'

WASHINGTON, DC: South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem chose not to answer whether former Vice President Mike Pence did the right thing when he defied former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, during a Monday, May 6, interview.

Noem called NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas' question "hypothetical," emphasizing that Pence was wrong in not supporting the presumptive GOP nominee in the upcoming 2024 election and hoped that his stance would change soon.

On January 6, 2021, despite facing pressure from Trump to reject the 2020 presidential election results, then-Vice President Pence chose to oversee the certification process in Congress.

More recently, in March of this year, Pence condemned Trump for referring to individuals facing charges for participating in the Capitol insurrection as hostages, calling the rhetoric "unacceptable," as reported by CBS News. He noted that he will "never diminish" the "tragic" assaults against police officers. 

The same month, he further stated that he "cannot in good conscience" endorse Trump for the November election. 

Pence elaborated, "For me, the reason why I won't endorse Donald Trump this year is because I see him departing from the mainstream conservative agenda that has defined the Republican Party over the last 40 years, and still has the best hope for the future of the country."

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem refuses to answer questions on Mike Pence's January 6 move

In a clip of the interview shared on X (formerly Twitter), Noem is seen saying, "My hope is that Mike Pence will endorse President Trump soon because it is critically important that we are unified and working together to make sure that we take back the White House."

At that moment, Vargas noted, "Right, but you did not answer my question," and asked, "Did Mike Pence do the right thing or the wrong thing on Jan 6?"

"I don't talk in hypotheticals," replied Noem, adding, "The law's changed. That situation will never happen again, because the law has been changed, so... I don't answer hypothetical questions."

Vargas tried to reason with the South Dakota Governor, saying, "It's not hypothetical. I'm just asking you...what he did that day," as she was cut off mid-sentence by Noem telling her that it is hypothetical "because it will never happen again."

She stressed, "Looking back (at) that day, I wasn't in the situation. I didn't have the information he had, you know. I just think that Mike Pence today is making the wrong decision by not endorsing President Trump."

Internet reacts to Kristi Noem refusing to say whether Mike Pence did the right thing on January 6

One wrote, "Not a hypothetical question and what LAW changed to prevent it?" and another inquired, "Why is anyone interviewing her?" 

"Uh, she was in the situation along with 300M+ other Americans," pointed out a person.

Someone else added, "Thank goodness she's a hypothetical question now," referring to speculations about Noem being booted from Trump's VP list owing to the puppy-killing fiasco. 

An individual remarked, "I'm not sure she knows what hypothetical means." 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.