Pence says potential Trump indictment is 'politically charged' amid record inflation, border crisis

Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for carrying out what he called a "politically charged prosecution" against former President Donald Trump while the American people are facing crises on numerous fronts, including crime, inflation and the border. 

"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 fact that the Manhattan D.A. thinks that indicting President Trump is his top priority I think it -- just tells you everything you need to know about the radical left in this country," Pence said in an interview with ABC News aired Sunday.

"It just feels like a politically charged prosecution here," Pence told "This Week" co-host Jonathan Karl. "I just feel like it's just not what the American people want to see."

When Karl asked about Trump's call for protests if he is arrested in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case involving hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, Pence said: "The American people have a constitutional right to peaceably assemble."

The former vice president also urged for any possible protests to be done "peacefully and in a lawful manner." If any demonstrations mirror that of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Pence said, "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."