Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday called the shooting by police of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a "tragic situation," but said that the investigation must be allowed to continue before a final judgment is made.
Appearing on Fox News Channel's "Special Report," Pence was asked by host Bret Baier about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden saying President Donald Trump is "rooting for chaos and violence" and is "trying to scare America."
"We grieve an incident like that, we really do, but I want to let the investigation play out," Pence said. "It's remarkable that Joe Biden yesterday announced that it was an unwarranted police shooting until we have all the facts in."
When asked by Baier why he didn't mention Blake, a Black man who was shot seven times by police, but survived, Pence said, "We’re going to follow the facts, justice will be served in every case. We abhor violence in any circumstances, but we’re not going to reflexively condemn law enforcement."
The American people are concerned about "left-wing mobs," Pence said, that have been allowed to "run roughshod in places like Portland and New York and Seattle and over the last several days in Kenosha."
"There is no excuse for what happened to George Floyd months ago," he said. "But there is also no excuse for the rioting and the looting and the violence that has followed. And the American people know they have a president who is going to demand that governors and mayors in these Democrat-run cities, in these Democrat states, step up, do their job, restore law and order and that is really the choice that we have."
Trump toured Kenosha on Tuesday to look at the aftermath of riots and support law enforcement and the community, though he did not meet with Blake or his family. Wisconsin's Democratic governor and the city's Democratic mayor had urged Trump to cancel his visit, saying the city needed time to heal.
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