Speaking in Indianapolis, Pence lambasts Trump and 'crackpot lawyers'

Following a stump speech at the Indiana State Fair on Wednesday, presidential hopeful Mike Pence issued strong rebukes of his former boss, Donald Trump, firmly differentiating himself from what he called Trump's "crackpot lawyers."

The night before, Pence had issued a condemning statement in response to the federal conspiracy charges handed down to Trump over his alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack, saying Trump should not be president of the United States. Pence is one of about a dozen GOP candidates vying for the nomination.

More: Mike Pence speaks in Indianapolis hours after rebuking Trump

During the speech itself, Pence focused solely on the economy and made no mention of Trump. But afterward, he told a gaggle of reporters that while he can't assess the merits of the federal indictment, he wanted to reiterate that he stood by the Constitution and knew he had no right to overturn the election, despite, he said, Trump's "reckless assertion" that he could.

"And that what the president maintained that day, and frankly, has said over and over again over the last two and a half years, is completely false," he said. "And it's contrary to what our Constitution and the laws of this country provide."

He criticized Trump's legal team, too.

"Sadly, the president was surrounded by a group of crackpot lawyers who kept telling him what his itching ears wanted to hear," he said.

In previous weeks, Pence was somewhat softer on the possibility of an indictment, saying that he feared a third indictment would only stoke more resentment toward the Justice Department. He acknowledged Wednesday that that still may hold true, but he felt the need to make sure people knew that he did his duty.

“I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this," he said. "I had hoped this issue and the judgment of the president’s actions that day would be left to the American people. Now it’s been brought in a criminal indictment.”

"I do believe that this is only going to further unite the divide in the country," he said later, "so my focus is not going to be on the indictment or the merits of it, the found issues. The president can make his case in court."

Pence said he did learn new information from the indictment, such as the allegation that there were efforts to secure fake electors.

Pence also reiterated the central theme of the statement he issued Tuesday night.

"On that day, President Trump asked me to put him over the Constitution, but I chose the Constitution. I really do believe anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution never deserves to be president of the United States."

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.

Pulliam Fellow Nic Napier contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mike Pence lambasts Trump and 'crackpot lawyers' amid federal indictment