Former Vice President Mike Pence wasn't in Washington, D.C. Thursday while he played a starring role in the discussion at the Capitol on Thursday.

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Instead, he traveled to an industrial area of Cincinnati where he and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine sat at a roundtable with members of Ohio's oil and gas industry. They sat in a nondescript boardroom at the Enerfab manufacturing plant in Cincinnati's Spring Grove Village neighborhood.

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection heard testimony about how former President Donald Trump pressured Pence to overturn the election, and how Pence himself was in danger when a mob stormed the Capitol that day.

In Cincinnati, Pence did not talk about the Jan. 6 insurrection or the hearings. In a brief speech before the roundtable began, Pence focused his speech on energy independence and blamed the Biden administration for high gas prices.

"I look forward to hearing from the leaders of industry here in Ohio on how we turn loose the energy industry in this great state," Pence said. 

Pence has indicated he's considering a possible 2024 presidential run, he told the New York Times in April.

In his speech, he credited the Trump administration for its energy policies and talked about the importance of elections in general. 

"What I want to say to each and every one of you, with the right leadership here in Ohio, the right leadership in Washington, D.C., we can do it all again," Pence said.

Pence ignored shouted questions from reporters, and men in suits ordered the press to pack up and leave before the start of the roundtable.

When the event ended around 4 p.m., Pence and DeWine left without taking questions.

Pence has not testified before the Jan. 6 committee. But he's played a central role in the testimony about the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. Pence's refusal to support Trump's plan to stay in power drew Trump's wrath, according to testimony from the Jan. 6 committee.

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican who serves as vice-chair of the committee, said this past Thursday testimony will show Trump responded to the rioter's calls to "hang Mike Pence" by saying that “maybe our supporters have the right idea" and that Mike Pence "deserves it.”

After his meeting at the steel plant, Pence was expected to journey to the home of Nancy and David Aichholz in the affluent Cincinnati suburb of Indian Hill. He was there to raise money for the reelection campaign of GOP Rep. Steve Chabot. 

Former Ohio Democratic Chairman David Pepper took to Twitter Thursday to point out on Jan. 6, 2021, Chabot voted against certifying the results of the Pennsylvania election. 

Chabot's campaign was not immediately available for comment. He's facing a challenge from Democratic candidate Greg Landsman, a member of Cincinnati City Council.