CNN  — 

Mike Pence showed Monday night that he is willing to say almost anything to get back in Donald Trump’s good graces.

Appearing on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, the former vice president was asked about his relationship with the 45th president – particularly in light of his refusal to overturn the 2020 election as Trump had suggested on January 6.

Here’s his answer (bolding is mine):

“Look, you can’t spend almost five years in a political fox hole without somebody – without – without developing a strong relationship. And you know, January 6 was a tragic day in the history of our Capitol building.

“But thanks to the efforts of Capitol Hill police, federal officials, the Capitol was secured. We finished our work. And the president and I sat down a few days later and talked through all of it.

“I can tell you that we parted amicably at the end of the administration, and we’ve talked a number of times since we both left office.

“But – but I believe that our entire focus today should be on the future. I’ve campaigned a couple of times for Glenn Youngkin who will be a great governor in the state of Virginia. I’ve been traveling all across this country helping our team running for the House and the Senate, and I’ll be helping governor’s candidates around America.

“So I know – I know the media wants to distract from the Biden administration’s failed agenda by focusing on one day in January. They want to use that one day to try and demean the – the character and intentions of 74 million Americans who believe we could be strong again and prosperous again and supported our administration in 2016 and 2020.”

Oh, really?

It’s the media that keeps talking about “one day in January”? Because, uh, they want to distract from the struggles of President Joe Biden? And they want to “demean” the character of the people who voted for Trump?

Give. Me. A. Break.

Start here: January 6 wasn’t just “one day in January,” Mike Pence. It was, in fact, the first time the U.S. Capitol had been breached in more than 200 years. It was a violent insurrection aimed at overturning the certified results of a presidential election. It was the culmination of years of lies told by the Trump administration about election integrity.

As for the notion that the media has pushed January 6 as a way to distract from what is happening in the Biden administration, well, you should tell that to law enforcement. According to a database maintained by USA Today, more than 600 people in 40 states have been charged with a crime (or crimes) for their actions on January 6. More than 100 police officers were injured in the melee. Five people lost their lives that day. Many people who lived through the experience continue to struggle with the physical and emotional fallout.

Then, finally, the idea put forward by Pence that “they” – the media? Democrats? The Deep State? – are trying to paint all Trump supporters with the broad brush of insurrectionists because of the actions of a few.

Well, let’s be clear: Trump relentlessly promoted the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6. He and his top allies – including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani – spoke at the rally. And Trump flags and paraphernalia were everywhere as the crowd stormed the Capitol.

That doesn’t mean that every person who voted for Trump wanted to storm the capitol in a violent insurrection. But it does mean that more than just a few bad apples were involved in a riot aimed at trying to keep Pence from doing his Constitutional duty and affirming the results of the electoral college.

What Pence is doing here is both transparent and gross: He desperately wants to run for president in 2024 and knows he can’t do that as long as he is persona non grata in Trumpworld. So, despite the fact that he didn’t overturn the election results as the president wanted, Pence is now trying to find common cause with the very same people who chanted “Hang Mike Pence” as they rioted through the Capitol.

Unreal.