Pence says Democrats using Capitol riot probe "to distract attention"

• His former counsel testified before the panel last week that Pence refused to leave the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, despite urging from Secret Service, as he didn't want to "take any chance that the world would see the vice president of the United States fleeing the United States Capitol."

What he's saying: "Jan. 6 was a tragic day, and I know we did our duty, but I will always be proud of our record," said Pence, who's signaled he's open to a 2024 presidential run against Trump, during his interview with Fox News' digital arm foxnews.com.

• "And I am not going to allow the Democrats to use that tragic day to distract attention from their failed agenda or to demean the intentions of 74 million Americans who rallied behind our cause."
• Pence said he didn't know if he and Trump "will ever see eye to eye" on his certification duties, but "in the aftermath of that tragic day, we sat down, and we talked through it" before finishing the final weeks of their administration working together.

"And we parted very amicably. And we spoke in the months that followed us leaving office — we spoke with some regularity. And now, I think we’ve kind of gone our separate ways over the last year, but I’ll always be proud of the record we created."

Worth noting: Trump accused Pence on Friday of lacking "the courage" to overturn the 2020 election results, though he denied a former White House staffer's testimony that he called Pence a "wimp" for refusing to bow to pressure and instead certifying the results.