'Flat-out lying': Legal analyst fact-checks Mike Pence claiming no BLM protesters were arrested
Former Vice President Mike Pence faced off against an angry crowd of Donald Trump's supporters who built a gallows on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol and chanted "Hang Mike Pence."
Speaking to "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Pence complained about the prosecution of his former running mate, but he was faced with the reality of allowing crimes to go unpunished due to someone's status.
Fidgeting with his jacket and shifting in his chair, Pence said he wants equal treatment under the law. He demanded equal accountability for President Joe Biden's documents, and Chuck Todd was forced to tell him that the attorney general appointed a special counsel in that case as well. So, the treatment is equal, the host explained.
"Well, we'll see," Pence dodged, refusing to respond to being fact-checked in real-time.
Pence then complained that for seven years, it seemed like Democrats were given the edge under justice. Todd told Pence that his claim would mean Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions were somehow helping the Democratic Party. It was a comment the host appeared to find absurd.
Pence complained that the Justice Department targeted parents attending school board meetings, which is false. The Justice Department targeted anyone making violent threats to local officials. As long as a parent never threatened to kill a teacher, they didn't face off against the law. Pence appears to be complaining that law enforcement should ignore such death threats.
His second complaint is that the Justice Department was targeting pro-life activists. In reality, those pro-life activists were arrested for vandalizing clinics. In the past, abortion doctors have been assassinated and clinics have been bombed and attacked.
Finally, he attacked the Justice Department for not prosecuting violent protesters during the summer of 2020 after the slaying of George Floyd. Donald Trump and Pence were in office for seven months after the June protests, and Bill Barr still ran the Justice Department until the end of 2020.
Longtime legal analyst, formerly at BuzzFeed, Chris Geidner, called Pence out for the lies by posting a Justice Department press release saying that over 300 people had been arrested during the protests for Floyd.
"He's just flat-out lying to you. It's no different than Trump and the election. Mike Pence thinks he can just state a lie, and someone somewhere will buy it," said Geidner.
See the DOJ release in the screen capture below or at the link here.
\u201cTHIS WAS THE DOJ THREE YEARS AGO \u2014 WHILE MIKE PENCE WAS VICE PRESIDENT.\n\nHe's just flat-out lying to you. It's no different than Trump and the election. Mike Pence thinks he can just state a lie, and someone somewhere will buy it.\u201d— Chris Geidner (@Chris Geidner) 1687111311