Sen. Barrasso declines to condemn Trump over Pence remarks

Sen. John Barrasso on Sunday declined to criticize former President Donald Trump for saying it was “common sense” for rioters on Jan. 6 to chant threats of violence against then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said it was not “common sense” to chant “hang Mike Pence,” but declined to directly condemn Trump for those remarks, just saying, “I don’t agree with President Trump on everything.”

He added: “I agree with him on the policies that have brought us the best economy in my lifetime, and I'm going to continue to support those policies.”

Trump made his remarks about “common sense” to ABC’s Jonathan Karl, defending those who charged into the Capitol on Jan. 6 as working to prevent what he once again described as a grave injustice, the confirmation of Joe Biden‘s election as president. Trump remained focused on baseless assertions that the election was stolen from him, and that it was partially the fault of Pence, his own vice president.

Trump said of the “hang Mike Pence“ chant to Karl: “It's common sense, Jon. It's common sense that you're supposed to protect. How can you — if you know a vote is fraudulent, right? — how can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress? How can you do that?“

Saying “I voted to certify the election,” Barrasso told host George Stephanopoulos that Republicans on the Hill were now primarily focused on their opposition to Biden’s policies, which he characterized as destructive. He also referred to the former president as “an enduring force.”

“President Trump brings lots of energy to the party. He's an enduring force. Elections are about the future, not the past,” Barrasso said.

Another Republican was considerably less kind to Trump on Sunday.

Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), who voted to impeach Trump after Jan. 6, said he was worried about damage to the nation‘s institutions. “The country can't survive torching the Constitution. We have to hold fast to the Constitution,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Gonzalez, who is not seeking reelection in 2022, added: “The cold, hard truth is, Donald Trump led us into a ditch on January 6. The former president lied to us. He lied to every one of us. And, in doing so, he cost us the House, the Senate and the White House. I see, fundamentally, a person who shouldn't be able to hold office again because of what he did around January 6.“