Former Situation Room officer: Pence came ‘close’ to being killed on Jan. 6

A former Situation Room officer said former Vice President Mike Pence came “close” to being killed on Jan. 6, 2021, during the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“It’s important to me that we don’t forget that it did come that close, and that we did have discussions, ‘If we lose the [vice president,] if the 25th [Amendment] is invoked,’” Mike Stiegler said in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that aired Tuesday on “Good Morning America,” in a clip highlighted by Mediate. “We started running through all of these game plans because it was getting close.”

Stiegler also agreed with Stephanopoulos when he referred to the Jan. 6. riot as one “of our own people” and “inspired” by Trump.

“But at the time, that’s not even in the forefront of our mind,” Stiegler continued. “It doesn’t matter how we got here. We’re here. How do we execute? How do we move forward?”

Pence faced threats of violence on Jan. 6 for refusing to overturn the 2020 election. He was at the Capitol when rioters broke in and was taken to an underground loading dock amid the attack, according to the Secret Service.

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), considered a possible running mate for former President Trump in 2024, has stated his doubt that Pence’s life was in danger that day, saying earlier this month that he thinks “politics and politics people like to really exaggerate things from time to time.”

“I think — look, Jan. 6 was a bad day. It was a riot. But the idea that Donald Trump endangered anyone’s lives when he told them to protest peacefully, it’s just absurd,” Vance later added.

Pence said in March that he will not endorse his former boss, saying he was “incredibly proud” of the Trump administration’s record, but “there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues.” He has expressed his opposition to Trump’s position on abortion and pushback on a ban on TikTok, among other topics.

“In each of these cases, Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years,” Pence said. “And that’s why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign.”