"I’m taken aback at the idea of indicting a former president of the United States, at a time when there’s a crime wave in New York City, that – the fact that the Manhattan D.A. thinks that indicting President Trump is his top priority."
The former vice president's remarks come after Trump claimed on his Truth Social platform Saturday that he could be arrested on Tuesday, arguing there had been "illegal leaks" of the investigation's details to the press.
MIKE PENCE DEFENDS RECORD IN TRUMP ADMIN TO ABC ANCHOR: 'I KNOW THAT GRATES' ON NATIONAL MEDIA
Former Vice President Mike Pence.
The case against Trump surrounds alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels just days before the 2016 election, with investigators probing whether Trump falsified documents to hide the reason for the payments.
Trump later called for protests in response to his possible arrest, telling followers: "WE MUST SAVE AMERICA! PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!"
Former President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
Pence defended the right of Trump supporters to protest the possible arrest, so long as they "do so peacefully and in a lawful manner."
Jan. 6, 2021, protests at U.S. Capitol (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Pence also decried protests such as those in the aftermath of George Floyd's death and on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol, arguing violent demonstrations are a "disgrace."
"The American people won’t tolerate it and those that engage in that kind of violence should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Pence said.