At CNN town hall, Pence criticises Trump for praising Putin: A look at key takeaways

Former United States vice-president Mike Pence blasted his former boss and 2024 presidential election rival Donald Trump on many issues, including the former president describing Russia's Vladimir Putin as a "genius" for his invasion of Ukraine. Participating in a CNN town hall in Iowa on Wednesday night (June 7), Pence said, "I know the difference between a genius and a war criminal, and I know who needs to win the war in Ukraine."

“And it’s the people fighting for their freedom and fighting to restore their national sovereignty in Ukraine. And America – it’s not our war, but freedom is our fight. And we need to give the people of Ukraine the ability to fight and defend their freedom,” Pence added.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

During the town hall, the former vice-president also expressed his views on abortion, and the First Step Act among other issues.

Pence urges DOJ not to indict Trump

Pence urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) not to indict Trump, saying such a move would fuel division inside the US and send a terrible message to the wider world.

Pence told CNN that the DOJ could resolve its investigation into Trump's potential mishandling of classified documents without resorting to an indictment, just as the department informed Pence's lawyer last week that there would be no charges brought in the case of classified documents discovered in his house.

However, the CNN report said that in Pence's case, he immediately contacted the National Archives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to return his documents, while Trump resisted handing over his classified material and failed to return all classified documents after receiving a subpoena last May.

Apart from criticising Trump for praising Putin for the Ukraine war, Pence hit out at his former boss over his efforts to overturn the 2020 US presidential election and the Capitol Hill riots.

What did Pence say about abortion?

Pence has been an anti-abortion advocate and during Wednesday's town hall, he made it clear that he would not deviate from this position. “I couldn’t be more proud to be vice president in an administration that appointed three of the justices that sent Roe v. Wade to the ash heap of history,” he said.

On the question of a federal ban on abortion, Pence said he supported exceptions for rape, incest and danger to the life of the mother.

Would 'take a step back' from First Step Act: Pence

Pence also said he would "take a step back" from the Trump-era First Step Act- which cut unnecessarily long federal sentences and improved conditions in federal prisons. Under the act, thousands of federal inmates, most of them in prison for drug offences and weapons charges, were freed early either for good behaviour or through participation in rehabilitation programmes.

“We need to get serious and tough on violent crime, and we need to give our cities and our states the resources to restore law and order to our streets. And I promise you, we’ll do that, if I’m your president,” Pence said.

Asked about fellow Republican Ron DeSantis promising to repeal the act if elected president, Pence conceded that he would take a different approach than the First Step Act.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.