Trump seemed to approve of chants about hanging Pence: Report

Former President Donald Trump said that maybe his vice president should be executed after protesters at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!” according to witnesses who spoke to the House committee probing the attack.

The New York Times reports that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows left the dining room off the Oval Office and told colleagues in his own office that Mr. Trump was complaining about Mr. Pence being whisked to safety during the Capitol attack — and then made the hanging remark.

It was unclear what kind of tone Mr. Trump deployed but the account was given to the House committee by at least one witness, the newspaper reported.

The committee confirmed the account with another witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Mr. Meadows who was present for the chief of staff’s account.

The new reporting underscores the rift between Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence that erupted after the former vice president refused to block the certification of Electoral College votes that handed the 2020 contest to President Biden.