Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday praised someone who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection because she refused to accept a pardon from President Donald Trump.
Pam Hemphill, who has become known as the "ex-MAGA granny," was charged with a misdemeanor crime of picketing or demonstrating in the Capitol during the insurrection. She is one of the thousands of rioters whom Trump pardoned during the first days of his second term. Hemphill publicly rejected Trump's pardon earlier this spring and said she didn't want to be part of a narrative that Trump and his allies are weaponizing.
Pence sent a letter to Hemphill, dated June 2, where he expressed his "admiration" for her because of her actions, according to a post on Hemphill's X account.
“I am writing to express my admiration for your decision to refuse a presidential pardon and accept responsibility for your actions on January 6th,” Pence's letter reads in part. “January 6 was a tragic day, but I will always believe that I did my duty that day to see the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States.”
The results of the 2020 election are an issue that followed Trump into office during his first term. Trump has recently called for a special prosecutor to investigate the election.
“Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING."
"It’s been a long and hard journey, but this letter I received today has made every heartache, smear campaign and sleepless night more than worth it!" Hemphill wrote.