Mike Pence’s brother opposes Capitol riot probe despite mob threats to ‘hang’ former vice president

‘Hanging Judge Nancy Pelosi is hellbent on pushing her version of partisan justice,’ Indiana representative says

The brother of Mike Pence has said he opposes the independent probe into the 6 January insurrection despite the fact pro-Trump supporters were threatening to “hang” the former vice president during the attack on the US Capitol.

The House of Representatives voted to approve the commission on Wednesday to investigate the deadly attack, which saw five fatalities, including a Capitol police officer.

However, certain Republicans have largely pushed back against the probe and continued to downplay the riot, including Greg Pence, who is the US Representative for Indiana’s 6th congressional district and Mike Pence’s brother.

“Hanging Judge Nancy Pelosi is hellbent on pushing her version of partisan justice,”  the congressman said in a statement according to The Washington Post.

Greg Pence went on to say that the House speaker would use a “hand-picked jury” to “carry out her pre-determined political execution of Donald Trump before law enforcement officials have completed their investigation”.

The House voted by 252-175 to approve the commission, including 35 Republican members, which will produce a public report including recommendations for preventing another Capitol attack. The bill faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

During the insurrection, Mike Pence was made a target of rioters fury following inflammatory statements by Donald Trump, with many heard shouting “Where’s Mike Pence?” and “Hang Mike Pence”.

The then-vice president and his family were forced to hide in an office in the Capitol before being evacuated with supporters angry at him for refusing to block the electoral certification, a power he did not possess.

Greg Pence hid during the attack alongside the vice president, his wife, Karen Pence and his daughter, Charlotte Pence Bond, according to The Post.

Mr Trump called on Mr Pence to overturn the results only hours before their certification saying: “All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!”

At the Save America rally where he encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol, Mr Trump said: “Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn’t, that will be a sad day for our country because you’re sworn to uphold our Constitution.”

The New York Times reported that Mr Pence told Mr Trump at the time that he did not have the authority or power to block Mr Biden’s victory as the president has asked.

Pro-Trump Republicans, including Mr Trump himself, have argued that the commission bill is a “partisan” Democrat trap, while those in favour of the bill say the investigation is necessary to find the truth and prevent another security breach.

“We have people scaling the Capitol, hitting the Capitol Police with lead pipes across the head, and we can’t get bipartisanship? What else has to happen in this country?” shouted Democratic Rep Tim Ryan before the vote.

Following the riots, it was reported that Mr Trump and Mr Pence endured a tense last few weeks in office together, with the former vice president choosing to attend Joe Biden’s inauguration despite Mr Trump’s notable absence.

Additional reporting by agencies