Pence says he believes the FBI didn't contribute to Jan. 6 riot

Just over three years since rioters stormed the Capitol and targeted him, former Vice President Mike Pence pushed back against the theory popularized by former President Donald Trump and members of his MAGA base that the FBI was responsible for the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“I've heard the many repeated assurances from the FBI that they were not involved, and I take them at their word,” Pence said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sunday.

Trump has leaned on the conspiracies around Jan. 6 as he looks to retake the White House, claiming Antifa and the FBI were “leading the charge” as his supporters marched from his rally rally to the Capitol. Those who have been imprisoned for joining the riot are “hostages,” Trump has said on the campaign trail, a description echoed Sunday by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Pence, who was in the Capitol during the attack and had to be whisked away as rioters entered the building and threatened to hang him, said Sunday that he was “grateful” for the FBI’s efforts to find and prosecute those who involved in the attack.

“I've seen the director of the FBI repeatedly assure the American people that the FBI were not the instigators of the riot that occurred on January 6,” Pence said Sunday. “And frankly I'm very grateful for the efforts of the FBI to bring nearly a thousand people to justice who ransacked our Capitol and did violence against police officers that day.”

“I believe everyone that conducted that riot at the Capitol needs to be held to the fullest extent of the law. I'm pleased that many have,” Pence added.