[WATCH] GOP Senator Refuses to Condemn Trump for Defending ‘Hang Mike Pence’ Chants

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) repeatedly refused to condemn Donald Trump on Sunday for defending protesters’ calls to “hang Mike Pence” during the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, with Barrasso instead praising Trump for bringing “a lot of energy to the party.”

“This Week” host George Stephanopoulos asked Barrasso four times whether he or his party takes issue with Trump defending calls by his supporters to kill the former vice president. Each time, Barrasso deflected.

ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl had asked Trump in a recent interview whether he was concerned about Pence’s safety during the attack, which left five people dead. Trump said he wasn’t worried about Pence, reasoning that he thought the vice president was “well-protected” and he “had heard he was in very good shape.” When Karl pressed that the rioters were chanting “hang Mike Pence,” Trump, who had publicly criticized Pence for failing to overturn the 2020 election result, came to their defense. “Well, the people were very angry,” Trump replied. “Because it’s common sense. … How can you, if you know a vote is fraudulent, right, how can you pass on a fraudulent vote?”

When I interviewed Trump for "Betrayal" and asked him about his supporters chanting "Hang Mike Pence", he didn't condemn them, he defended them. Here's a clip from the interview. More audio from the genuinely shocking interview will air Sunday on @ThisWeekABC pic.twitter.com/MlnhTgw8Cu

— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) November 12, 2021

Meanwhile, Mike Pence and his staff learned their ID cards had been deactivated after the attack on the Capitol had begun, forcing them to hide on a loading dock because they couldn’t access their offices. No one challenges Republicans on these sorts of details, which is how you get Barrasso spouting the MAGA party-line talking points instead of holding Dear Leader accountable.

A reminder that Trump lied about the COVID threat, tried to suppress CDC reports, and was fine with thousands of Americans needlessly dying during the pandemic. He should be in jail. Oh, he was also cool with his cult trying to hang Mike Pence. This is your King, MAGA.

— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) November 15, 2021

Despite the fact that a gallows was erected on the Capitol grounds specifically for Mike Pence, Barrasso still trotted this out. “Trump brings a lot of energy to the party. He’s an enduring force. Elections are about the future, not the past,” Barrasso said hypocritically about the man still whining about last year’s election results.

.@SenJohnBarrasso refuses to give direct answer when pressed by @GStephanopoulos on former Pres. Trump appearing to defend Jan. 6 rioters who chanted “hang Mike Pence” in interview with @jonkarl, says: “The Republican Party is incredibly united right now." https://t.co/Z5rKolzuVD pic.twitter.com/89g2EHH5eU

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 14, 2021

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Fortunately, not everyone in the GOP shares Barrasso’s Trumpocrisy. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), in a separate interview Sunday with CNN’s “State of the Union,” offered a different take on Trump’s comments, saying he personally saw the gallows that had been constructed by Trump supporters outside the Capitol. Trump’s behavior is “not right” nor “appropriate,” he said. “It was a really scary day,” Upton told host Jake Tapper. “It’s so unsettling, you know, this is not what our democracy is about, these physical threats.”

You know trump defended his supporters wanting to hang Mike pence? https://t.co/ulyDSfQ7lH

— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) November 14, 2021

Rep. Upton has also received death threats thanks to his colleague, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Q-GA), encouraging her Twitter followers to harass him and the 12 other Republicans who dared to vote for the Infrastructure Bill. Watch Upton’s appearance, below.