Donald Trump seemed to support Jan. 6 rioters who chanted about hanging Vice President Mike Pence, a witness told the House panel investigating the Capitol breach. The bombshell revelation was made by the twice-impeached former president’s final chief of staff, Mark Meadows, to a group of colleagues on the day of the riot and shared with the House committee in testimony, according to The New York Times. Meadows “told the colleagues that Mr. Trump had said something to the effect of, maybe Mr. Pence should be hanged,” the Times wrote. An initial witness who described the encounter said Meadows said Trump had bristled at the thought of Pence being whisked off to safety, according to the Times. The alleged remark is the most apparent indication of Trump’s eventual disdain for his vice president, who spurned his boss’ repeated efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A lawyer for Meadows called the account of his remarks “untrue,” while a Trump spokesman attacked the committee for “leaks.” The committee declined to comment.
