Former Vice President Mike Pence called out members of the Republican Party for going after the FBI following the raid of former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
Criticizing his own party, Pence told the GOP to stop attacking rank-and-file FBI personnel.
"I also want to remind my fellow Republicans we can hold the attorney general accountable for the decision that he made without attacking the rank-and-file law enforcement personnel at the FBI," Pence said during a speech in New Hampshire.
Pence, who has publicly spoken against Trump, is taking yet another aim at his former partner by seemingly taking the FBI's side.
"It is fairly well-known that President Trump and I had our differences… Our party stands with the men and women who stand on the thin blue line at the federal, state, and local levels. These attacks on the FBI must stop," Pence continued to say.
However, Pence claimed that he was "deeply troubled" and shares the same concern as his party mates on the raid.
Since the unlawful raid on Trump's home last week, several Republicans have called to defund the FBI, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.).
"Calls to defund the FBI are just as wrong as calls to defund the police. And the truth of the matter is, we need to get to the bottom of what happened. We need to let the facts play out…But more than anything else, the American people need to be reassured in the integrity of our justice system, and the very appearance of a recurrence of politics playing a role in decisions at the Justice Department demand transparency as never before," Pence told the crowd.
Recommended
Trump has repeatedly condemned the FBI for searching his Florida home, accusing the agents of planting "evidence."
Pence has joined others in calling on a full investigation after Attorney General Merrick Garland admitted that he approved the FBI's raid.
He said that "unprecedented actions demand unprecedented transparency," demanding Garland to explain why the raid was necessary.
"While he's begun to do so, not nearly enough information is being provided…Never before in American history has the personal residence of a former president been subject to a search warrant," Pence said.
I share the deep concern of millions of Americans over the unprecedented search of the personal residence of President Trump. No former President of the United States has ever been subject to a raid of their personal residence in American history.
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) August 9, 2022
Join the conversation as a VIP Member