Former Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that he could not defend former President Donald Trump against the "very serious" allegations in his recent indictment.
Sitting down for an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the recently-announced candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination took several shots at his ex-boss, who he is now running against.
"Having read the indictment, these are very serious allegations. And I can't defend what is alleged," Pence explained. "But the President is entitled to his day in court, he's entitled to bring a defense, and I want to reserve judgment until he has the opportunity to respond."
Pence specifically took issue with the accusation that many of the documents housed at Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, pertained to United States military vulnerabilities and its nuclear program.
However, the onetime congressman and Indiana governor admitted that it was difficult for him to believe that politics had no role in the Department of Justice's decision to pursue 37 charges against the former president.
"I think millions of Americans are deeply troubled by this indictment, particularly given the fact that Hillary Clinton engaged in very similar behavior in the 2016 campaign and did not face indictment," Pence argued.
His comments arrived hours after Trump was arraigned by a federal district court in Miami, Florida, on the recommendation of DOJ special counsel John L. Smith's office, which was tasked with investigating him.
Pence revealed his long-shot bid for the GOP nod last week, taking on Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
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