WASHINGTON (AP) – Furious President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged on Wednesday that he does not have the power to throw away the electoral votes that will make Democrat Joe Biden the next president, leaving Trump’s groundless hope that Pence will somehow become a might find a way to keep them in the office.
Pence, under intense pressure from Trump and his allies to reverse the election results, released a lengthy statement outlining his conclusion that a vice president cannot claim “unilateral authority” to reverse states’ electoral votes. point.
“It is my considered 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 wrote in a letter to members of the Parliament. Congress before he hit the case. session of Congress.
At a notable moment that underscored the dramatic split between Trump and his once most loyal lieutenant, Pence released the statement just after arriving at the Capitol to count electoral votes and even as the president told thousands of supporters who were nearby. from the White House had gathered that Pence could nullify those results.
“If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election,” Trump told supporters, who later marched through Washington and stormed the Capitol.
Trump tweeted his disapproval of Pence after returning to the White House.
“Mike Pence did not have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our country and our constitution, by giving states a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate facts they had to before. certify, ”he wrote. “USA demands the truth!”
After losing trial after trial, and without further options, Trump and his allies had made an unsuccessful effort for days to convince Pence – and his legion of supporters – that the vice president had the power to turn down voters from battlefield states who voted for Biden.
Not him. The constitution makes it clear that the role of the vice president in the joint session is largely ceremonial, much like a master of ceremonies.
While Pence’s allies had made it clear that he intended to defy Trump, the vice president’s public statement was nonetheless a significant departure for Pence, who has been defending the president for the past four years and carefully avoiding his anger.
Raising Trump risks jeopardizing Pence’s carefully crafted political future. Looking to flee the White House in 2024, Pence had counted on his years of loyalty to Trump to help him stand out in what is expected to be a busy field. Even outside of his tenure, Trump is expected to remain the de facto Republican Party leader and political kingmaker for years to come.
Trump spent much of Wednesday in anger over Pence’s action, even as violent protesters flooded the U.S. Capitol, forcing lawmakers to hide and bringing the proceedings to a halt. Even as the violence unfolded, most of Trump’s attention was focused on Pence, according to a White House official who spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss internal issues.
Pence was led out of the Senate Chamber to a safe location when protesters broke into the building. And it was the vice president, not Trump, who spoke with the acting Secretary of Defense on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the mobilization of the DC National Guard.
Pence made it clear in his three-page letter that he would follow the constitution and not the commander-in-chief, regardless of the political ramifications. He recognized that a vice president does not have unilateral power under the constitution and the rules of Congress governing the electoral college. The rules make it clear that it is up to the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to raise objections and assess their merits.
And so, as Trump’s rally continued in the bitter cold, Pence opened proceedings and began opening the certificates of each state’s electoral vote and presenting them in alphabetical order to the appointed “tellers” of the House and Senate. . The trial was soon put on hold when protesters broke into the Capitol, overwhelmed the police and forced the evacuation of the vice president and members of Congress.
“The violence and destruction taking place in the US Capitol has to stop and it has to stop now,” Pence later tweeted. “Everyone involved must respect law enforcement and leave the building immediately.”
When the count finally ends, Pence is tasked with announcing the winners of the matches and formalizing his own defeat.
Despite claims made by Trump and his allies, there was no widespread election fraud. This has been confirmed by a series of election officials and by William Barr, who stepped down as attorney general last month. Neither Trump, nor any of the lawmakers who promised to oppose the count, have provided credible evidence that would change the outcome.