The “Morning Joe” crew on Monday called out former Vice President Mike Pence’s weekend remarks criticizing how President Donald Trump handled the Jan. 6 riot, a potential preview of primary posturing as the former running mates to fight it out for next year’s Republican nomination.
Pence said at a Saturday event that the former President’s “reckless words” put the VP and his family in danger. He also proclaimed that “history will hold Donald Trump accountable.” Pence went on to denounce Trump’s role, though he himself has refused to testify in an ongoing federal investigation.
“OK, so history will hold [Trump] accountable, but no one else will right now?” host Mika Brzezinski questioned, referring to top Republicans who won’t call out Trump’s actions.
“You have these Republicans that want to have it both ways,” host Joe Scarborough said. “I’m very glad Mike Pence said what Mike Pence said at the Gridiron [Dinner]. It is there, it is now in the history books and we know about it. Again, I don’t understand why they can’t just tell the American people the truth.”
Scarborough called Pence a coward, as the former Vice President refuses to criticize Trump on camera.
“When you want to hear the truth about Donald Trump from top Republicans these days, you just can’t expect to hear it in the light of day,” Scarborough said. “Instead, maybe some will whisper it in off-the-record conversations with reporters … or maybe you may hear it from Mike Pence, but only when he is off-camera at the Gridiron Club.”
He continued: “All of these Republicans that attack Donald Trump off the record, but won’t say the truth about him on the record, on camera? The former Vice President wants to have it both ways: telling the truth about a man who threatened his life and his family’s life, but not actually saying it on TV.”
Scarborough also said that he thinks Republicans’ refusal to call out Trump will hurt them in elections.
“You can’t pretend on camera that a guy’s a nice guy and you’re going to protect him in front of federal investigators, if he’s tried to kill you and your family as Trump tried to do with Mike Pence and Pence’s family,” host Joe Scarborough said. “And Mike Pence said that himself on Saturday night.”
Watch the full segment in the embed above.