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\"It will be up to the government now to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this actually represented criminal activity,\" he said.

Asked what he had learned after reading through the indictment's 45 pages, Pence pointed to it laying out how Trump and his allies allegedly recruited a slate of fake electors in seven battleground states to sign certificates falsely stating Trump had won when he hadn't.

\"I didn't know anything about the effort ... I learned that after the fact,\" Pence said.

He separately defended his support for the objections that were raised by Republican lawmakers during the counting of the presidential electors on Jan. 6, 2021.

\"As I said that day, I had concerns about voting irregularities that had taken place in states around the country,\" he said -- though no such alleged irregularities have ever been confirmed in any amount to change the 2020 results.

\"I was fully prepared to make sure that we heard all the arguments and concerns that members of Congress had brought, but ... the violence that ensued eclipsed all of that, and I am glad to know that states around the country have been strengthening election integrity laws,\" Pence went on to say, \"and I'll continue to do everything I can to strengthen the confidence in the American people and the integrity of our elections.\"

\"PHOTO:
Darron Cummings/AP
PHOTO: Republican presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a stop at the Indiana State Fair, Aug. 2, 2023, in Indianapolis.
>

When asked if he'd testify at Trump's future criminal trial, Pence didn't rule it out.

He noted that he ultimately had to sit before the special counsel's investigation after Trump sought to prevent him from speaking, claiming executive privilege, and after Pence's own attorneys mounted a legal challenge contending his dues as president of the Senate should exempt him from some questions.

\"Well, I testified under a subpoena before the grand jury. I'm somebody that believes in the rule of law, but look, I have nothing to hide,\" Pence said.

While he argued Trump was wrong to ask him to overturn the election, he said he didn't want to see criminal charges brought because he believes \"this is only going to further ignite the divide in the country.\"

\"PHOTO:
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: FILE - Former President Donald Trump delivers remarks at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster, NJ, June 13, 2023.
>

\"And so my focus is going to be not on the indictment or the merits of it. The president can make his case for it. But I'm going to make it clear to the American people, as I seek the Republican nomination, that despite what Donald Trump has said over the last two and a half years, that I had no right to overturn the election,\" he said.

Pence was welcomed to his home state on Wednesday to talk about \"kitchen table\" issues at the Indiana State Fair, where he walked through his plan to fight inflation if he is elected president.

\"I believe different times call for different leadership. I believe the time has come for new leadership in the Republican Party and new leadership in the White House,\" Pence told fair attendees. \"And I'm gonna work every day to continue to make Indiana proud.\"

\"PHOTO:
Carlos Barria/Reuters, FILE
PHOTO: FILE - President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence stand while making remarks about early results from the 2020 U.S. presidential election in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Nov. 4, 2020.
>

The former vice president first commented on the indictment in a statement on Tuesday, where he also said, \"Today's indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States.\"

He wrote that Trump is entitled to a presumption of innocence but argued \"his candidacy means more talk about January 6th and more distractions.\"

\"PHOTO:
Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: FILE - Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are seen while presiding over a joint session of Congress to count the Electoral College votes of the 2020 presidential election in the House Chamber in Washington, D.C.,
>

As Pence takes on his former running mate more directly, he appears to be gaining some financial momentum.

In a call with donors later Wednesday, Pence's campaign manager, Steve DeMaura, said Pence has surpassed 30,000 unique donors, is averaging more than 1,000 new donors a day and is on track to qualify for the first primary debate, on Aug. 23, as early as next week.

\"By our lights, we think maybe the next seven to 10 days, we'll lock it down,\" Pence said on the call.

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