Former vice president Mike Pence‘s chief of staff, Marc Short, labeled Donald Trump‘s mug shot as “tragic,” attributing it to the former president being led astray by “bad counsel.”

What Happened: Short, on Friday, during a CNN interview with Jake Tapper, expressed his unease about Trump’s recent actions, stating that "bad counsel" had misguided the former President, leading to unfortunate events.

"I think it's tragic, Jake," Short said.

Short called the events of Jan. 6 regrettable and avoidable, criticizing Trump’s efforts to retain power after the elections. "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.

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Why It Matters: Last month, Trump surrendered to Fulton County jail, making history as the first sitting or former president to have a booking photograph taken following an indictment. This indictment was related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Trump, along with 18 others, were charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act by Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis.

Interestingly, Trump and his campaign have leveraged the mug shot for fundraising, claiming on Truth Social that the release of the mug shot has helped raise over $10 million for his campaign.

The mug shot has sparked waves of controversy, with former White House lawyer Ty Cobb likening Trump’s appearance in the photo to a “Batman villain.”

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This illustration was generated using artificial intelligence via MidJourney.