Mike Pence receives JFK Profile in Courage Award for January 6 actions
Share this @internewscast.com

BOSTON — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday frequently referenced the Constitution, describing it as the unifying force after being honored with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

The award was given to Pence for his refusal to support President Donald Trump’s attempts to stay in power following the 2020 election loss. According to the JFK Library Foundation, the award acknowledges Pence “for risking his personal safety and career to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021.”

“To create a future together, we must discover common ground,” Pence said. “I hope, in some way, my presence here tonight serves as a reminder that, regardless of our differences as Americans, the Constitution is the shared foundation upon which we stand. It binds us across time and generations. … It’s what makes us one people.”

His comments came hours after an interview with Trump aired in which he was asked whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens both deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Trump was noncommittal.

“I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,” Trump said when pressed in an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker. It was taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and aired Sunday.

Pence never mentioned Trump during his 10-minute speech but made several references to the Trump administration.

Referencing what he called “these divided times, in these anxious days,” he acknowledged that he probably had differences with the Democrats in the room but also with his own Republican Party “on spending, tariffs and my belief that America is the leader of the free world and must stand with Ukraine until the Russian invasion is repelled and a just and lasting peace is secured.”

Trump pressured Pence to reject election results from swing states where the Republican president falsely claimed the vote was marred by fraud. Pence refused, saying he lacked such authority. When a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, some chanted that they wanted to “hang Mike Pence.” Pence was whisked away by Secret Service agents, narrowly avoiding a confrontation with the rioters.

“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,” Trump wrote at the time on X, formerly Twitter, as rioters moved through the Capitol and Pence was in hiding with his family, aides and security detail inside the building.

Pence rejected the Secret Service’s advice that he leave the Capitol, staying to continue the ceremonial election certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory once rioters were cleared.

In describing his role, Pence told the audience that “by God’s grace I did my duty that day to support the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States of America.”

“Jan. 6 was a tragic day but it became a triumph of freedom. History will record that our institutions held,” he said in his speech. “Leaders in both chambers, in both political parties reconvened the very same day and finished democracy’s work under the Constitution.”

JFK’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, who along with his grandson Jack Schlossberg presented the award, said Pence’s actions that day were a reminder that democracy must not be taken for granted.

“At the time I thought Vice President Pence was just doing his job,” she said. “Only later did I realize that his act of courage saved our government and warned us about what could happen and is happening right now.”

The Profile in Courage Award, named for a book Kennedy published in 1957 before he became president, honors public officials who take principled stands despite the potential political or personal consequences. Previous recipients of the award include former Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford.

Pence has emerged as one of the few Republicans willing to take on the Trump administration.

His political action group, vancing American Freedom, campaigned against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the nation’s health agencies. He’s delivered speeches urging the president to stand with longtime foreign allies and posted an article he penned more than a decade ago on the limits of presidential power after Trump claimed that, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

An Oregon Man Ventures to Hawaii by Sea with His Cat, Greeted by Excited Supporters

HONOLULU – An Oregon resident took a leap of faith, leaving his…

Cryptocurrency Investor Accused of Kidnapping and Torturing Man for Weeks in NYC Apartment

NEW YORK – A man involved in cryptocurrency investment has been apprehended…

NECX Corrections Officer Faces Charges in Child Exploitation Case

DRESDEN, Tenn. (WJHL) — Authorities have charged a state corrections officer from…

Deputies Report: Woman with Alias and Man in Ski Mask Rob Victim at Florida Hotel

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – This month, Osceola County deputies apprehended a woman…

Family Speaks Out About Danville Stabbing Victim Who Was Known for Being Gentle

A man from Danville, Illinois, is in the hospital recovering after a…

Russia Launches Largest Airstrike Against Ukraine in War’s History

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site…

Firefighters Working to Control 15-Acre Brush Fire Close to Lake Harney, Officials Report

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – According to a news update, fire teams from…

George Floyd’s Tragic Death in 9 Minutes and 29 Seconds Transforms a Neighborhood Forever

Before Floyd’s murder, she garnered recognition as the first Black, openly transgender…

Father of Four Detained by ICE at Citizenship Interview After 12 Years in the U.S.

Related video: White House defends deportation of children born in the U.S.…

Medical Reports: Israeli Strikes in Gaza Result in 14 Fatalities, Including Woman and Two Children

DEIR EL-BALAH – Israeli airstrikes continued overnight into Sunday, resulting in the…

VIDEO: Storms Topple Tree onto Palm Bay Home; Central Florida Faces Hailstorms

PALM BAY, Fla. – Central Florida experienced thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon, which…

At Least Seven Dead in Major Drone and Missile Assault on Ukraine by Russia, Officials Report

KYIV – For a second consecutive night, Ukraine was struck by a…