Former Vice President Pence defends Constitution after getting Profile in Courage Award

BOSTON AP Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday repeatedly invoked the Constitution and declared it is what binds us all together after receiving the John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Award Pence received the award for his refusal to go along with President Donald Trump s efforts to remain in office after losing the balloting The award recognizes Pence for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan the JFK Library Foundation disclosed To forge a future together we have to find common ground Pence noted I hope in specific small way my presence here tonight is a reminder that whatever differences we may have as Americans the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand It s what binds us across time and generations It s what makes us one people His comments came hours after an interview with Trump aired in which he was demanded whether U S citizens and noncitizens both deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution Trump was noncommittal I don t know I m not I m not a lawyer I don t know Trump disclosed when pressed in an interview with NBC s Kristen Welker It was taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and aired Sunday Pence never mentioned Trump during his -minute speech but made several references to the Trump administration Referencing what he called these divided times in these anxious days he acknowledged that he ostensibly had differences with the Democrats in the room but also with his own Republican Party on spending tariffs and my belief that America is the leader of the free world and must stand with Ukraine until the Russian invasion is repelled and a just and lasting peace is secured Trump pressured Pence to reject electoral contest results from swing states where the Republican president falsely claimed the vote was marred by fraud Pence refused saying he lacked such authority When a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol specific chanted that they yearned to hang Mike Pence Pence was whisked away by Secret Organization agents narrowly avoiding a confrontation with the rioters Mike Pence didn t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were requested to previously certify Trump wrote at the time on X formerly Twitter as rioters moved through the Capitol and Pence was in hiding with his family aides and precaution detail inside the building Pence rejected the Secret Provision s advice that he leave the Capitol staying to continue the ceremonial voting certification of Democrat Joe Biden s presidential win once rioters were cleared In describing his role Pence described the audience that by God s grace I did my duty that day to assistance the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States of America Jan was a tragic day but it became a triumph of freedom History will record that our institutions held he declared in his speech Leaders in both chambers in both political parties reconvened the very same day and finished democracy s work under the Constitution JFK s daughter Caroline Kennedy who along with his grandson Jack Schlossberg presented the award explained Pence s actions that day were a reminder that you cannot take democracy for granted At the time I thought Vice President Pence was just doing his job she reported Only later did I realize that his act of courage saved our regime and warned us about what could happen and is happening right now The Profile in Courage Award named for a book Kennedy published in before he became president honors general leaders who take principled stands despite the probable political or personal consequences Previous recipients of the award include former Presidents Barack Obama George H W Bush and Gerald Ford Pence has emerged as one of the scarce Republicans willing to take on the Trump administration His political action group Advancing American Freedom campaigned against the nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead the nation s fitness agencies He s delivered speeches urging the president to stand with longtime foreign allies and posted an article he penned more than a decade ago on the limits of presidential power after Trump claimed that He who saves his Country does not violate any Law