Pence felt ‘angry, scared and betrayed’ as January 6 rioters stormed Capitol threatening to ‘HANG’ him, ex aide reveals
MIKE Pence felt "scared, angry, and betrayed" during the Capitol insurrection, an ex-White House staffer revealed, as rampaging protesters threatened to “hang” the former vice president.
Protesters stormed the Capitol on January 6 2021 as they railed against lawmakers certifying Joe Biden's election victory.
Five people were killed in the deadly insurrection and some officers who defended the Capitol were left battling post-traumatic stress.
Four cops who responded to the attack died by suicide.
Riled-up rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence” while the then commander-in-chief accused his veep of lacking "courage" – hours before presided over the certification of the election results.
Olivia Troye, a former staffer on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, told The Sun that she feared violence would erupt on January 6.
She said: "In the aftermath of the election, I was very concerned about violence on January 6. I was concerned for Mike Pence."
Troye said she has no doubt that Pence was "angry, scared and worried" as he was with his family when the chaos unfolded.
She revealed: "I think the most jarring thing was seeing the gallows set up outside the Capitol and the ‘Hang Mike Pence’ chants toward someone who had remained so loyal for many years.
“He is known to the GOP as a very traditional, conservative Republican.
January 6, 2021: A timeline of events
On January 6, 2021, a group of rioters stormed the Capitol building in Washington, DC to protest the 2020 presidential election results. Here's a timeline of events of what occurred that day:
6:00am: A group of supporters for former President Donald Trump show up in Washington, DC to attend a rally for him. Trump had tweeted about the rally a month prior.
11:00am: Trump's rally, "Save American Rally," kicks off. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr both speak.
11:50am: Trump begins speaking at the rally. He tells his supporters that "we will never give up. We will never concede." He tells his supporters to go to the Capitol building.
1:00pm: Lawmakers gather at the Capitol to count Electoral College votes while protesters gather outside.
1:10pm: Rioters are on the steps of the Capitol building.
1:26pm: The Capitol police evacuate the Library of Congress, Madison Building and Cannon House Office Building. These buildings are across the street from the Capitol.
1:40pm: Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser orders a curfew in the city.
2:11pm: Rioters breach the perimeter of the Capitol building and scale the walls.
2:20pm: The Senate and House are called into recess and the building goes into lockdown.
2:38pm: Trump tweets, "Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!"
3:00pm: Rioters officially break into the Senate chamber. Other rioters break into the offices of members of Congress and the Senate. Property is destroyed along the way. Rioters take photos of themselves on the Senate floor.
3:13pm: Trump tweets again about the situation. "I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember WE are the Party of Law & Order - respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!"
3:34pm: Rioter Ashli Babbitt is shot by a Capitol police officer as she attempts to climb through the Lobby's doors. She later died from her injuries. Meanwhile, the National Guard is ordered to the Capitol by Trump.
4:00pm: President-elect Joe Biden addresses the nation and calls on Trump to "go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege."
4:17pm: Trump tweets out a video message to his supporters. "I know your pain, I know you're hurt," he said. He said the election "was stolen from us" but asked the rioters to "go home now."
6:00pm: Washington, DC goes under a 12-hour lockdown.
7:00pm: Trump is banned from Facebook and his Twitter account is suspended.
8:00pm: Former Vice President Mike Pence calls the Senate back into session.
9:00pm: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls the House back into session.
11:00pm: The House and Senate resume their joint session.
January 7, 3:42am: Joe Biden is officially declared as the next president of the United States.
Aftermath: As of January 2022, more than 700 people have been charged with alleged crimes from the riot, according to .
“You can say a lot of things about Pence, but I’m sure that he was concerned for the safety of all those who were inside the Capitol that day."
She believes the former vice president felt a sense of betrayal.
Trump was impeached for the second time after being accused of inciting an insurrection. He was acquitted in the Senate.
Footage played at the impeachment trial revealed how close the mob got to the “nuclear football”.
He warned: “Had they stolen the football and acquired its contents, which include pre-planned nuclear strike options, they could have shared the contents with the world.”
Reif said it would’ve been a security breach of “incomprehensible proportions”.
Lawmakers on the January 6 committee are calling for Pence to voluntarily cooperate with their investigation.
'A DARK DAY'
The Democrat revealed that he wants Pence’s take on his experience inside the Capitol building when protesters were calling for him to be hanged.
In June, Pence told Republicans in New Hampshire that he will likely never “see eye to eye” with Trump regarding the insurrection.
He said: “As I said that day, Jan. 6 was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol.
“You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office, and I don’t know if we’ll ever see eye to eye about that day," he continued.
"But I will always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years."
Trump previously revealed that he was “disappointed” in Pence certifying Biden’s win.
As the one-year anniversary approaches, lawmakers have since recalled their harrowing experiences.
"Because we didn’t know if the doors could be locked. And so I was focused on planning my escape if I had to get out.”
She said that she couldn’t bend her knee, but had a “plan” that she was going to hit an insurrectionist in the knee with a mask, then in the other knee with a cane.”
Meanwhile, Annie Kuster, who represents New Hampshire's second congressional district, told her son that she was "running for her life" and reassured him that she would phone him back after receiving a call.
Troye said the images of the insurrection were “humiliating” to the US on the global stage.
She said: “Images of January 6 were incredibly harmful on a global scale.
“Those images were being played by foreign adversaries as images of a failing democracy, and they are being used to exploit us.
“All of that is a dangerous precedent because it’s part of our electoral system and what makes our democracy work.
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“When you have the pillars of our democracy starting to erode and you have the presence of extremism, we see public confidence in our elections start to be undermined."
Olivia Troye was Mike Pence's lead staffer on the White House Coronavirus Task Force. She resigned from the White House in August 2020. Troye is the Director of the Republican Accountability Project.
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