Trump mob ‘wanted to hang Mike Pence from a tree’ and even strung up a noose in front of the Capitol building during riot, says photographer
- Reuters’ photographer Jim Bourg claimed he heard Trump supporters speaking about executing VP Mike Pence during Wednesday’s Capitol riots
- He tweeted Friday that he heard at least three people speak about hanging Pence from a tree as a ‘traitor’
- A noose was erected on a wooden frame on the West Front of the Capitol by the president’s mob on Wednesday afternoon
- The VP and his family could allegedly hear the angry and violent crowds shouting ‘where’s Mike Pence’ as they rushed through the building
- Pence angered Trump by pushing back on the president’s false claims that he could overturn the Congress vote on the Electoral college
- Trump repeatedly tweeted that Pence needed to take action and have ‘courage’ despite the VP having no power to change the election result
A Reuters’ photographer covering Wednesday’s riot on the U.S. Capitol has claimed he heard at least three Trump supporters speak about hanging Vice President Mike Pence from a tree as a ‘traitor’.
Jim Bourg, the Reuters News Pictures Editor in D.C., tweeted on Friday that he heard ‘many more’ speak about executing Pence as they stormed the Capitol and tried to hunt him down.
Pictures from D.C. on Wednesday revealed that a noose was erected on a wooden frame on the West Front of the Capitol by the president’s mob.
According to CNN, the VP and his family could hear the angry and violent crowds shouting ‘where’s Mike Pence’ while they stormed through the building as Trump did nothing to check in on his second-in-command’s safety.
Pence angered Trump and his supporters earlier this week after pushing back against the president’s incorrect claim that the VP could put a stop to the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College.
A noose is seen on makeshift gallows as supporters of President Trump stormed on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. A Reuters’ photographer covering the riot claimed he heard at least three Trump supporters speak about hanging VP Mike Pence from a tree as a ‘traitor’
Pence angered Trump and his supporters earlier this week after pushing back against the president’s incorrect claim that the VP could put a stop to the certification of Joe Biden’s win
Jim Bourg, the Reuters News Pictures Editor in D.C., tweeted on Friday that he heard ‘many more’ speak about executing Pence as they stormed the Capitol and tried to hunt him down
After Trump called on his loyalists to descend on the Capitol and ‘fight’ to stop the election result, fanatics burst into the building, forcing Pence and other lawmakers to be evacuated.
‘I heard at least 3 different rioters at the Capitol say that they hoped to find Vice President Mike Pence and execute him by hanging him from a Capitol Hill tree as a traitor,’ Bourg said.
‘It was a common line being repeated. Many more were just talking about how the VP should be executed.’
As hundreds of Trump fans brazenly broke into the building on Wednesday, they were seen hunting out Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and new Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to voice their anger at Trump’s loss and attempt to force them to overturn the election.
They were seen sitting in the chair on the Congress floor where Pence had sat moments before and took pictures in Pelosi’s office before breaking down a sign above her door.
It is unclear what the group’s exact plans were if they managed to find the lawmakers.
In a video with CNN, one Trump supporter named Penny Allison claimed that she believed ‘ we should have gone on in and yanked our senators our by the hair of their head and said ‘no more’ before claiming that it had also been a peaceful protest, despite the deaths of five people.
Trump’s anger was directed toward Pence as he falsely claimed on Twitter that the VP had the authority to overthrow the electoral college vote.
Pictured, a duffle bag of flex cuffs remains at the northern entrance door to the U.S. Capitol building after the Trump rioters on Wednesday. They hunted for Pence and Pelosi
A protester sits in the Senate Chamber. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump
Pictured, flex cuffs still hung from the northern entrance door from when Capitol Police attempted to secure it from a pro-Trump mob on Wednesday afternoon
Another supporter of US President Donald J. Trump sits on the desk of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after breaking in. The mob had searched specifically for the Speaker
‘States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval,’ Trump wrote on Wednesday morning, just hours before his supporters tried to hunt Pence down.
‘All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!’
‘If Vice President @Mike_Pence comes through for us, we will win the Presidency,’ he added.
‘Many States want to decertify the mistake they made in certifying incorrect & even fraudulent numbers in a process NOT approved by their State Legislatures (which it must be). Mike can send it back!’
Yet just before Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s win on Wednesday afternoon, Pence made clear that he did not have the authority to do change the result and was not going to bow to any pressure from Trump.
‘Some believe that as Vice President, I should be able to accept or reject electoral votes unilaterally,’ Pence’s statement read.
‘Others believe that electoral votes should never be challenged in a Joint Session of Congress,’ he continued.
‘After a careful study of our Constitution, our laws, and our history, I believe neither view is correct.’
Trump had falsely claimed that VP Pence had the power to reject slates of electors
He continued the false claims in numerous tweets on Tuesday and Wednesday
Pence issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon telling Trump he was wrong
Yet Trump continued to falsely claim that Pence simply lacked the ‘courage’ as he whipped up the crowds at his ‘Stop the Steal’ D.C. rally into a frenzy and urged them ‘to fight’.
‘Mike Pence, I hope you get to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country, and if you’re not, I’m going to be very disappointed in you,’ Trump said at a rally
Lawmakers and staffers were all escorted to safety by Capitol police before violent clashes with Trump supporters and an armed standoff in the House chamber.
One Trump supporter was fatally shot in the chest by Capitol police as she breached the building and three others died after suffering medical emergencies.
A Capitol cop also died after allegedly being beaten by the president’s fans.
Pence is said to have been greatly angered by the president in the wake of the riot with Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe telling Tulsa World ‘I’ve never seen Pence as angry as he was today.’
Vice President Mike Pence met with Capitol police after the riot, pictured
The VP tweeted for the rioters to go home as they tried to hunt him down
The VP tweeted from his concealed shelter inside the building to tell those who had stormed the building to leave.
‘The violence and destruction taking place at the US Capitol Must Stop and it Must Stop Now. Anyone involved must respect Law Enforcement officers and immediately leave the building,’ he wrote.
‘Peaceful protest is the right of every American but this attack on our Capitol will not be tolerated and those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’
While Trump has finally conceded that he has lost the election and Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20, he has allegedly continued to fume at Pence and told him ‘I don’t want to be your friend.’
Trump even moved to ban Pence’s Chief of Staff Marc Short from entering the White House, after blaming him for the advice he had given the VP.
Sources told CNN that Pence is being used as a ‘scapegoat’ as the president attempts to land the blame for his loss on others.
‘Rudy, Meadows and their teams have been trying to set up the vice president to take the fall as opposed to admitting they laid out false hope in all of this,’ the source said.
‘Trump just can’t admit defeat and wants a scapegoat,’ they added.
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