Photo:Roy Rochlin/Getty; James Devaney/GC Images

Roy Rochlin/Getty; James Devaney/GC Images
Pence, 64, wholaunched his campaign for the presidency in Juneand is competing againstTrump, 77, for the 2024 Republican nomination, shared in a statement that Trump’s new criminal charges served as “an important reminder” that “anyone who puts himself over the Consitution should never be the President of the United States.”
“I will have more to say about the government’s case after reviewing the indictment,” Pence continued. “The former president is entitled to the presumption of innocence but with this indictment, his candidacy means more talk about January 6th and more distractions.”
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The indictmentincludes four charges forthe twice-impeached former presidentthat consisted of one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.
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Pence ended his statement with a turn to criticizing Biden and bringing up the president’s son,Hunter Biden.
“As Americans, [Trump’s] candidacy means less attention paid to Joe Biden’s disastrous economic policies afflicting millions across the United States and to the pattern of corruption ofHunter,” Pence said in his statement.
Hunter Biden, 53, wascharged on federal misdemeanor chargesof failing to pay federal income tax and a felony charge of illegally possessing a weapon in June. The investigation began in 2018 while Trump was still in office and initially focused on his business dealings with foreign interests. He wasexpected to plead guiltyto two tax charges and reach an agreement on the felony gun charges but the deal fell apart in court in July.
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A White House spokesperson previously said inresponse to the charges: “The President and First Lady love their son and support [Hunter] as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment.”
source: people.com