Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump’s demand that he try to block Congressional confirmation of Joe Biden’s election as the next president of the United States.
Pence said in a letter that he did not believe, as Trump claims, that a vice president has the unilateral power to reject votes from the electoral college for a candidate.
His dramatic hiatus from Trump came minutes before the vice president began chairing a joint session of Congress, meeting to declare Biden victorious.
“It is my informed judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution prevents me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” Pence said in a three-page letter to ” Dear collegue.”
“Given the controversy surrounding this year’s election, some approach this year’s four-year tradition with great anticipation, and others with dismissive disdain,” Pence wrote.
“Some believe that as a vice president, I should be able to unilaterally accept or reject electoral votes. Others believe that electoral votes should never be challenged in a joint congressional meeting. I believe neither view is correct.”
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is chairing a joint session of Congress to count election votes for president at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
While Pence released his statement, Trump spoke at a rally outside the White House, where he reiterated his call for the vice president to reverse Biden’s election. Trump and his allies allege, without evidence, that he and Pence lost to Biden and elected Vice President Kamala Harris over widespread voting fraud in a handful of states that gave Biden his profit margin.
“Mike Pence, I hope you stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country, and if you are not I will be very disappointed in you, I will tell you right now,” Trump said during the meeting.
“I don’t hear good stories.”
Multiple courts have rejected Trump’s allegations of fraud and election irregularities.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the vice president’s letter.
Shortly after Pence spoke at the joint session of Congress, several Republicans objected to the results of the Arizona Electoral College in Biden’s favor, sparking a period of debate.
The GOP lawmakers are expected to object to the election results of several other states, but those efforts are also expected to only delay and not block confirmation that Biden has won the presidency.
This is the latest news. Check back regularly for updates.