华盛顿-前副总统迈克·彭斯周六严厉批评了前总统唐纳德·特朗普他在1月6日美国国会大厦骚乱中的角色，加大了两人之间的裂痕，因为他们准备在明年的共和党提名战选举。

“特朗普总统错了，”彭斯在政治家和记者参加的年度白领烤架晚宴上发表讲话时说。“我无权推翻选举。他不计后果的话危及了我的家人和那天在国会大厦的所有人，我知道历史会让唐纳德·特朗普承担责任。”

彭斯的言论是这位曾经忠诚的中尉迄今为止最严厉的谴责，他经常回避面对他的前老板。特朗普已经宣布参选。彭斯没有，但他一直在为竞选做准备。

在2021年1月6日之前的几天里，特朗普向彭斯施压，要求他在主持结果认证仪式时推翻总统乔·拜登的选举胜利。彭斯拒绝了，当暴徒冲进国会大厦时，一些人高呼他们想“绞死迈克·彭斯”

调查此次袭击的众议院委员会在其最终报告中表示，“美国总统激起了一群追杀自己副总统的暴徒。”

通过他的言论，彭斯巩固了他在共和党内如何看待袭击的更广泛辩论中的地位。例如，众议院议长凯文·麦卡锡最近向塔克·卡尔森提供了一份1月6日的监控录像档案，这位福克斯新闻频道主持人用它来淡化当天的事件并宣传阴谋论。

“毫无疑问，那天发生的事情是一种耻辱，”彭斯在他的烤架晚宴上说。"以任何其他方式描绘它都是对体面的嘲弄."

与此同时，特朗普继续散布他竞选失败的谎言。他甚至发言支持暴徒，并表示如果他再次当选，他会考虑赦免他们。

在烤架晚宴上的演讲通常是幽默的事情，政客们互相取笑，彭斯也经常这样做。

他开玩笑说，特朗普的自我如此脆弱，他希望他的副总统唱“我翅膀下的风”——其中一句是“你知道你是我的英雄吗?”—在他们每周的午餐时间。

他在机密文件问题上再次向特朗普发难。

“我听说他们在Mar-a-Lago发现的一些机密文件实际上被夹在总统的圣经里，”彭斯说。"这证明他完全不知道他们在那里。"

甚至在晚宴结束前，彭斯就因开交通部长Buttigieg的玩笑而受到批评，Buttigieg是美国历史上第一位公开的同性恋内阁成员。

彭斯提到，尽管旅行问题困扰着美国人，但在他和他的丈夫收养了一对新生双胞胎后，他休了“产假”。

“皮特是人类历史上唯一一个有孩子的人，其他人都有产后抑郁症，”彭斯说。___

Megerian在特拉华州威尔明顿报道。

Pence says Trump 'endangered my family' on Jan. 6

WASHINGTON --Former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday harshly criticized former PresidentDonald Trumpfor his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, widening the rift between the two men as they prepare to battle over the Republican nomination in next year'selection.

“President Trump was wrong," Pence said during remarks at the annual white-tie Gridiron Dinner attended by politicians and journalists. "I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

Pence's remarks were the sharpest condemnation yet from the once-loyal lieutenant who has often shied away from confronting his former boss. Trump has already declared his candidacy. Pence has not, but he's been laying the groundwork to run.

In the days leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, Trump pressured Pence to overturn President Joe Biden's election victory as he presided over the ceremonial certification of the results. Pence refused, and when rioters stormed the Capitol, some chanted that they wanted to “hang Mike Pence.”

The House committee that investigated the attack said in its final report that “the President of the United States had riled up a mob that hunted his own Vice President."

With his remarks, Pence solidified his place in a broader debate within the Republican Party over how to view the attack. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, for example, recently provided Tucker Carlson with an archive of security camera footage from Jan. 6, which the Fox News host has used to downplay the day's events and promote conspiracy theories.

“Make no mistake about it, what happened that day was a disgrace," Pence said in his Gridiron Dinner remarks. "And it mocks decency to portray it any other way.”

Trump, meanwhile, has continued to spread lies about his election loss. He's even spoken in support of the rioters and said he would consider pardoning them if he was reelected.

Speeches at the Gridiron Dinner are usually humorous affairs, where politicians poke fun at each other, and Pence did plenty of that as well.

He joked that Trump's ego was so fragile, he wanted his vice president to sing “Wind Beneath My Wings” — one of the lines is “did you ever know that you’re my hero?” — during their weekly lunches.

He took another shot at Trump over classified documents.

“I read that some of those classified documents they found at Mar-a-Lago were actually stuck in the president's Bible," Pence said. “Which proves he had absolutely no idea they were there.”

Even before the dinner was over, Pence was facing criticism for his jokes about Transportation Secretary Buttigieg, the first openly gay Cabinet member in U.S. history.

Pence mentioned that, despite travel problems that were plaguing Americans, Buttigieg took "maternity leave” after he and his husband adopted newborn twins.

“Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets post-partum depression,” Pence said. ___

Megerian reported from Wilmington, Delaware.