Mike Pence Was Whisked To Safety Just Seconds Before Angry Pro-Trump Mob Reached Him, New Report Reveals

The mob that attacked and broke into the U.S. Capitol last week was allegedly seconds away from an encounter with Vice President Mike Pence, the man that some members of the group were reportedly seeking to hang for what they saw as treason.

The Washington Post reported that the group — which stormed the building after a fiery speech from Donald Trump implored them to be strong in fighting what he claimed was widespread voter fraud — had already broken into the building when Pence was still in the Senate.

As the outlet noted, Pence was not evacuated to a secure room until roughly 14 minutes after police first reported a breach of the building. By that time, some of the attackers were already close to where the vice president was.

“Secret Service officers eventually spirited Pence to a room off the Senate floor with his wife and daughter after rioters began to pour into the Capitol, many loudly denouncing the vice president as a traitor as they marched through the first floor below the Senate chamber,” the outlet reported. “About one minute after Pence was hustled out of the chamber, a group charged up the stairs to a second-floor landing in the Senate, chasing a Capitol Police officer who drew them away from the Senate.”

The images of the angry pro-Trump mob chasing the police officer were one of the lasting images of the attack, with dramatic footage showing the man drawing invaders away from the open door leading to him and other lawmakers.

As the New York Post pointed out, some of the rioters appear to have intended to do harm to Pence, who had become a target for Trump’s anger in the days leading up to the rally. He had claimed that Pence had the power to overturn election results when Congress met to tally Electoral College votes, though Pence would ultimately release a statement saying he did not believe he held such power.

According to the report, evidence collected from some of the attackers showed that he may have been in danger. A man who wore a bearskin headdress and face paint — 33-year-old Jacob Anthony Chansley, known as the “QAnon Shaman” — allegedly left a message indicating that he and other rioters intended to capture and kill some elected officials. An 18-page memo filed by prosecutors alleged that he left a note on the Senate chamber dais just minutes after Pence was taken to safety.

“It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming,” the note read, according to prosecutors.