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

Storm Team 3: Expect More Storms on Friday with a Hot and Dry Weekend Ahead

SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Thursday afternoon was very stormy as expected. We…

Truck Driver Surrenders After Watching News Story on Dog Dragged Behind Vehicle

SPRING VALLEY, Calif. (KSWB/KUSI) – The owner of a dog that was…

Operation Kid Forward: Experiencing a Day as a Pilot

SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Flying a plane is a rare experience, and…

Savoy Resident Charged with Illegal Weapon Possession After Child Battery Investigation

A 28-year-old man from Savoy, identified as Latroy Hodges, was taken into…

Trump Faces Backlash for Questioning Liberian President’s English Proficiency

() President Donald Trump has faced criticism after he asked the president…

Walmart Recalls 850,000 Water Bottles Due to Safety Concerns

(WHTM) – Walmart is recalling approximately 850,000 Ozark Trail water bottles following…

SPD Detains Suspect Linked to May Assault

The Savannah Police Department (SPD) detained an individual on Wednesday regarding a…

Dershowitz Claims to Be Aware of Names on Epstein’s Client List

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz on Thursday said he knows the list of names…

Storm Team 3: Potential for Intense Storms This Afternoon and Evening

SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Thursday begins with warm and very humid conditions…

Recently Released from ICE Custody, Mahmoud Khalil Sues Trump Administration for $20 Million

NEW YORK – One afternoon, Mahmoud Khalil found himself in his Manhattan…

Superman or ‘Superwoke’? New DC Movie Faces Backlash from Right-Wing Critics

Superman came to Earth as a refugee from a dying planet and…

Denver Dinosaur Museum Discovers Major Fossil Find Beneath Its Own Parking Lot – ‘A Moonshot Discovery.’

DENVER – A museum in Denver, renowned for its dinosaur exhibits, has…