Former Pence aide calls Trump’s mug shot ‘tragic’

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff on Friday called former President Trump’s recent mug shot “tragic” and suggested he’s been receiving a lot of “bad counsel” lately.

“I think it’s tragic, Jake,” Marc Short said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.

While Short went on to say the former president had treated him and his family well during his time working in his administration, he suggested Trump had been led “astray.”

“I do think that the events of January 6 were tragic and certainly avoidable,” he said. “And I think that the president got a lot of bad counsel — in many cases, counsel he sought out that I think led him astray.”

“I think that ultimately asking the Vice President to sort of put aside the Constitution is a huge violation of your most important oath to the American people to protect and defend the Constitution,” Short added, referring to the former president’s efforts to remain in power after losing the White House to President Biden.

Trump became the first sitting or former president to receive a booking photograph last month after surrendering to Fulton County jail after being indicted for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. He and 18 co-defendants were charged with a combined 41 counts by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis last month under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Trump and his presidential campaign have made attempts to use the photo for fundraising purposes. In a video posted to Truth Social Thursday, Trump held up a t-shirt of himself featuring the mug shot.

“They make me look like a criminal, but it completely and totally backfired, as you probably read. Since my mug shot was released, our campaign has raised over $10 million,” he said in the video. “The people get it.”

“The people know this is a sham and a scam,” he added. “This is nothing but election interference.”