Former Vice President Mike Pence has criticized the decision for a special counsel to be appointed to overlook the Justice Department’s investigation into President Trump. He has also added that the decision was “very troubling” and that whether or not he would cooperate with any investigations would depend on his legal team’s advice.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed former Justice Department official Jack Smith to act as special counsel overlooking the criminal probe into the presidential records found in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Smith is also set to oversee the DOJ’s probe into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
While giving an interview to Fox News Digital in Las Vegas, Nevada, Pence blasted the Justice Department for being politically driven when it comes to Trump. He added that having a special counsel appointed is also “very troubling”. He continued to say that while there should not be anyone who is above the law, he does not believe that taking your lawyer’s bad advice is against it.
Pence also pointed to the DOJ’s “politicization”, noting that the Trump-Russia investigation which saw “FBI agents falsifying documents”. Trump’s entire presidency was overshadowed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Trump’s campaign and any potential influence that Russia might have had in the 2016 presidential election. Following two years of investigation, there was no evidence to support any form of a criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russian officials.
Pence also added that it was “deeply troubled” for Justice Department senior leaders to agree to a search warrant against the former President of the United States. This was in reference to the FBI raid into Mar-a-Lago in August.
