‘History will hold Donald Trump accountable’ for Jan. 6 Capitol riots, says former US vice president

ISTANBUL (AA) – Former US Vice President Mike Pence has reproached his one-time boss Donald Trump for wrongdoing, saying history will hold him “accountable” for the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks.

“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said at the annual Gridiron dinner, a white-tie event attended by journalists and politicians in Washington, D.C.

“I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable,” he further said, as reported by the Washington Post.

Trump has long denied the validity of the 2020 election, which he lost by some 7 million votes, claiming rampant fraud. But he has not put forth any evidence to substantiate his claims. His allegations were further rejected by his attorney general, William Barr.

Those allegations motivated droves of Trump's supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in an attempt to prevent lawmakers from carrying out their constitutionally mandated duty of certifying election results.

Five people died as a result of the violence on Jan. 6, and the Capitol itself was badly damaged. Four law enforcement officers died by suicide in the aftermath.

The attack marked the first time the Capitol had been occupied since British forces torched it during the War of 1812.