Vice President Harris Says Trump Should Be Held Accountable in Jan. 6 Election Case

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the conclusion of the Investing in America tour at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 14, 2023. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris said those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach events, including former President Donald Trump, should be held accountable.

She made the remarks in an Associated Press interview in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the ASEAN 2023 conference. Asked whether that accountability would extend to President Trump, she said: “Everyone has their right to their day in court, but absolutely.

“People should be held accountable, but under our system of law, right? Let the evidence, facts, take it where it may.”

The Department of Justice brought over 1,000 cases against those who were present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Many have received prison sentences, and notably, several of these cases apply novel uses of various statutes in sentencing the defendants.

“I hope and pray there will be no more political violence,” Ms. Harris said on Wednesday. “I am glad to see the American people and democracy and our rule of law are holding people accountable, who attempted to upend the democratic process and the president of the United States.

“I am also concerned that there are people, leaders, so-called extremists around our country who are engaged in a full-on attack against our democracy. I am very concerned about that,” she added.

President Trump has been indicted on four counts in his challenge to the 2020 election results related to his actions on Jan. 6, 2021. While speculation had arisen that he might be charged with inciting violence, the charges are unrelated to violence.

He is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct the Jan. 6 certification of votes, and conspiracy against the right to vote, which legal experts have pointed out is also in novel use of the law. The indictment frames President Trump’s use of alternate electors in seven states as a conspiracy to “supplant legitimate electors” via a “fake controversy.”

Ms. Harris served as district attorney of San Francisco and California’s attorney general before being elected as a senator. She spent the majority of her career as a prosecutor, hence her “support” for accountability under the law.

Low Approval Ratings

In the same interview, Ms. Harris addressed concerns about President Joe Biden’s age.

“I see him every day; a substantial amount of time we spend together is in the Oval Office, where I see that his ability to understand issues and weave through complex issues in a way that no one else can, to make smart and important decisions on the behalf of American people have played out,” she said, defending him as an “extraordinary leader.”

“I think the American people ultimately want to know that their president delivers, and Joe Biden delivers,” she added.

Polls have shown low approval ratings for President Biden as he seeks reelection in 2024 and high concern about his age and fitness for office.

Asked whether she was prepared to step in as president if necessary, Ms. Harris immediately said “yes.”

“Joe Biden’s going to be fine, so that’s not going to come to fruition,” she added, when asked to elaborate. “Every vice president understands that when they take the oath, they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have of taking over the job of being president.”

Ms. Harris similarly holds low approval ratings. An NBC News poll conducted among 1,000 registered voters between June 16 and June 20 found that 49 percent had a very or somewhat negative view of Ms. Harris while 32 percent had a very or somewhat positive view, coming out to a net -17 rating—the lowest for a vice president in the history of the NBC survey.

For comparison, the poll showed that the previous vice president, Mike Pence, held a 38 percent negative and 34 positive rating a year before reelection time, coming out to a net -4 rating.

More recent polls continue to give Ms. Harris a net negative, with the most recent Aug. 17 to Aug. 21 survey from ABC News showing an uptick in favorability, with 41 percent approving and 47 percent disapproving.