WASHINGTON — Former US Vice President Mike Pence offered his most forceful rebuke to date of his one-time boss Donald Trump on Saturday, saying that history will hold him accountable for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Mr. Pence was in the Capitol when thousands of Trump supporters breached the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Mr. Trump lost to Joseph R. Biden.

As the vice president has the constitutional role of Senate president, Mr. Pence was presiding over what had always been the ceremonial task of approving the votes of the Electoral College to select the president and vice president.

Throughout the siege, Mr. Trump sent several tweets, one calling on Republicans to “fight” and others making false claims of voter fraud. He also criticized Pence for certifying the results.

“President Trump was wrong,” Mr. Pence told assembled journalists and their guests at the Gridiron dinner, an annual white-tie event in Washington, D.C. “I had no right to overturn the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

Mr. Pence, who is considering a run for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, was whisked to safety by law enforcement during the attack.

He rarely addressed Jan. 6 in the months following the incident but has since upped his criticism of the rioters and the behavior of his former boss that day.

He has sharply criticized Mr. Trump’s conduct in recent media interviews, and in a memoir released in November, he accused Mr. Trump of endangering his family.

Still, Mr. Pence’s comments on Saturday were his most pointed to date.

“What happened that day was a disgrace,” he said. “And it mocks decency to portray it any other way. For as long as I live, I will never, ever diminish the injuries sustained, the lives lost, or the heroism of law enforcement on that tragic day.”

A spokesperson for Mr. Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours.

Mr. Pence’s relationship with Mr. Trump has been complex since the two left office. He had criticized the former president’s behavior but refrained from the most stinging rebukes of Mr. Trump. He also declined to cooperate with the House of Representatives committee investigating the Capitol attack, describing the work done by the mainly Democratic body as partisan.

The former vice president’s comments on Saturday indicate he is willing to more forcefully distance himself from Trump as the 2024 campaign heats up – even if that means alienating the millions of Republican voters still loyal to the former president.

His remarks came just days after conservative television host Tucker Carlson aired security footage of the Capitol attack, claiming that many of the rioters were “orderly.”

Carlson’s depiction of Jan. 6 was sharply criticized by Democrats and several high-profile Republicans in the Senate, though many other Republicans – particularly in the House – shrugged off the episode. — Reuters

LONDON — Britain’s BBC faced a mounting crisis as a row over football presenter Gary Lineker’s criticism of government migration policy led to a presenter mutiny, drew a comment from the prime minister and left the broadcaster’s boss defending his position.

The BBC was forced to axe much of its sports coverage on Saturday as presenters refused to work in a show of solidarity with Mr. Lineker, after the BBC sought to defend its impartiality by taking him off the air due to his comments on social media.

Mr. Lineker, a former England soccer captain, the BBC’s highest-paid presenter and the anchor of the football highlights program Match of the Day, was suspended from his role following his criticism of Britain’s migration policy.

Critics of Mr. Lineker’s suspension say the BBC bowed to government pressure, leading to a furious debate about the impartiality of the national broadcaster.

BBC Director General Tim Davie told the BBC on Saturday he had no intention of resigning over the matter. “We in the BBC, and myself, are absolutely driven by a passion for impartiality, not left, right or pandering to a particular party,” he said.

Mr. Davie said he wanted Mr. Lineker back on the air and hoped to find a balance which enabled some presenters to express opinions while at the same time maintaining the BBC’s neutrality.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a statement on Saturday defending the migration policy, which bars the entry of asylum seekers arriving in small boats across the English Channel, saying he hoped Mr. Lineker and the BBC could resolve their differences in a timely manner.

“It is rightly a matter for them, not the government,” Mr. Sunak said.

The Lineker row severely disrupted the BBC’s sports programming on Saturday as multiple presenters walked out, prompting it to issue an apology.

Saturday’s edition of Match of the Day, presented by Mr. Lineker for more than 20 years, aired at the usual time despite his absence, but was slashed to just 20 minutes and aired as a show of highlights without commentary.

NEUTRALITY UNDER SCRUTINY
The BBC is committed to being politically impartial but has faced criticism from the Conservative and Labor parties about how neutral it actually is, particularly in the era of social media when high-profile presenters can easily make their personal positions known.

The opposition Labor Party and media commentators accuse the BBC of silencing Mr. Lineker, after Mr. Sunak’s spokeswoman called Mr. Lineker’s comments “unacceptable” and interior minister Suella Braverman said they were “offensive”.

“The BBC is not acting impartially by caving in to Tory MPs who are complaining about Gary Lineker,” Labor leader Keir Starmer told reporters at a conference in Wales on Saturday.

Mr. Lineker declined to comment to the media as he left his London home on Saturday and did not reply to questions from reporters on arrival at the King Power Stadium in Leicester where he went to watch one of his former clubs play.

The furor followed Mr. Sunak’s announcement of the new law earlier in the week. Mr. Lineker, 62, took to Twitter to describe the legislation as a “cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”

Seeking to resolve the dispute, the BBC said there needed to be an agreed position on Mr. Lineker’s use of social media before he can return to presenting. But critics of Mr. Lineker’s suspension say he is entitled to his personal opinions because he is not a news presenter.

Greg Dyke, who was director-general of the BBC between 2000 and 2004, told BBC radio earlier on Saturday that the BBC had made a mistake.

“The perception out there is going to be that Gary Lineker, a much-loved television presenter, was taken off air after government pressure on a particular issue,” Mr. Dyke said.

That could turn viewers away from the 100-year-old BBC, which is funded by a 159 pound ($192) annual “license fee” tax on all television-watching households.

While the broadcaster remains a central presence in British cultural life, it is battling to stay relevant with younger audiences and faces threats to its funding as some Conservative lawmakers want to scrap the license fee.

Questions about BBC Chair Richard Sharp pose a further challenge for the broadcaster.

Sharp is under pressure for failing to declare his involvement in facilitating a loan for former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson shortly before he was appointed to the role. Sharp’s appointment, made on the recommendation of the government, is being reviewed by Britain’s public appointments watchdog. — Reuters